An American Vampire in Chicago
by Just4ALE
Summary: Bella is a business school student when she meets Edward, a PhD student. Is this handsome stranger too good to be true? AU/Vampires/Humans. My vamps are slightly different from SM's. Indie TwiFic Award Winner!
1. An Odd Encounter

**Disclaimer: The characters of Twilight are owned by Stephenie Meyer. The content, ideas and intellectual property of this story and the 'American Vampire Series' in its entirety are owned by Just4ALE.**

_A/N1: This is the first of four stories in my 'American Vampire Series' and I'm thrilled to say it won TWO Indie TwiFic awards in the Winter 2010 competition! I hope you like it!_

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****Chapter 1: An Odd Encounter**

**BPOV**

November, 2003

It was yet another cold November day in Chicago. Luckily, between spending my last few years in high school in the Pacific Northwest and then living in New Hampshire and Boston for the last seven years, I was no stranger to cold days. Once upon a time, when I lived with my mom in Phoenix, snow was something I only saw in the movies and on TV and the cold was a nightmare to me. But now, I loved the cold. I had quickly learned that you could always put on more clothes to stay warm (and look like those kids bundled up like snowmen in A Christmas Story). And truthfully, the colder climates were better on my pale skin; I had to sit under the shade whenever I spent any length of time outside or I'd really burn.

I was excited as I approached the building, looking forward to possibly experiencing something different from the standard business school routine. I opened the heavy door to the gothic-looking Ida Noyes Hall and tried to get my bearings once inside. Outside of the pub in the basement, I'd never spent any time in this building before. Where was the room?

Students were milling around. Some stopped in conversation while others headed briskly into their various classrooms. I waited for it to clear out a little so that I could get the lay of the land a little better. After a minute, it started to clear up.

Glancing around, I saw there were empty benches in the alcove to my right. Along that wall there was some frosted glass that looked into a large dance hall-type space. There above the heavy double wooden doors, I saw the sign: Great Hall.

I found a patch of the frosty glass that was worn away and peeked inside. There they were as anticipated: a sea of bodies in white, moving in tandem. _Wow._

"Are you going to go in?"

_Was that directed at me?_ I looked to my left and then my right. The hall was fairly empty now. A guy was sitting the bench that had just been empty not 20 seconds before. He was looking down at some papers he appeared to be redlining. _Grading them, maybe_.

I wasn't sure who had asked the question or whether it was aimed at me. I turned back to peek into the room.

The velvety voice spoke again. "Well, are you?"

I turned my head back to the right and now saw the grading papers man looking at me.

"I'm thinking about it," I said, turning back to the room.

"What's stopping you?" he asked.

"Um, just assessing the situation," I responded quickly. I was fascinated by the activities in the room. _Can I do this?_

"Are you a student here?" I heard. I looked at him briefly. He was looking down at his papers again.

I once again focused on the room. "Business school," I answered. The students in the room had grabbed pads and were now taking turns kicking.

"Are you a teacher?" I asked back. I had no idea why I even bothered to ask… it just seemed polite, sort of saying 'how are you' back at someone.

"PhD student, but I'm a Teaching Fellow as well."

I continued to watch the activities in the room. _Wow, they look good. Did I come to the right session?_

"So, what's stopping you?"

Suddenly I realized the voice was closer to me than before. He was standing next to me, peeking in as well. As close as he was to me, I noticed his smell. What kind of cologne or soap did he use? I'd never smelled that before: it was amazing! But I also noticed that he was a little too close as far as I was concerned. _Just a touch in the unaware of personal space category_. I moved over a little, a step away.

"Um, what do you mean?"

"Well, what are you assessing?"

_Jeez, he's nosy. _"There aren't many women in that room," I answered back.

"Were you looking for women?" He seemed surprised. I was amused… I realized that he probably thought that my comment hinted at my sexual preference.

"Well, just so that I'd have someone more my size to spar with if they made us do that. I mean, while some of those guys do look pretty small, they're clearly experienced." _Why am I bothering to explain myself to this guy?_

Suddenly, one of the tall brown belts flexed out a kick that knocked the pad holder back a few feet.

"Holy cow, look at that one! He'd kick me across the room!" I yelped. I took a deep breath, exhaled and then stepped away from the windows to sit down on the bench, away from the man. I stretched my legs out in front of me and stared at my sneakers.

"Well, the ratio of men to women in there is pretty high. Good figures for you, I guess." he commented.

My head snapped up. "What?"

The man shrugged. "I heard the B'school women were all about the ratio. Three men to every one woman. Good odds," he said.

I was annoyed. I may have even scoffed. I turned my head to look away.

"I'm sorry if I offended you," he said. "I thought that most of the women…"

I cut him off. "Well, you don't know me. I'm not like most women."

"I see that."

I looked up at him again. His tone was odd, like he actually _did_ see that. He was looking intently at me. He actually was nice-looking, although unlike anyone I would have ever found attractive before; he had pale skin like mine and reddish-brown hair that looked like he ran his hands through it a lot. Not too many could carry off that mussed-up do. _Nice._ Suddenly I wanted to touch his hair.

_What the hell? Touch his hair? What am I thinking?_ I looked behind him at the clock on the wall and noticed that it was after 7pm.

"So, have you decided not to go in?" He started to walk over my way. His hands were in his pockets as he slowly glided toward me.

_Glided?_ _What an odd way to think of it. _But yes, his movement was so graceful that I'd have to say gliding was an accurate way to describe it.

He stopped about three feet away.

"No, just waiting," I said. I got the odd sense that he was almost hoping that I wouldn't go in.

I didn't know this guy, but something felt off. It seemed like he was way too interested in me for someone who just met me. I mean, I knew that the University of Chicago had its share of weird Goth students and that compared to them, I looked normal and somewhat pretty, however there was no way that I should draw this kind of attention in a first encounter. I was used to the blasé way the business school students acted around each other. _Maybe he's procrastinating_.

"So, when will you decide?" he asked, in that soft velvety voice of his.

_This guy must really not want to grade those papers._ Suddenly his phone rang.

He held up one finger to me, silently asking me to hold. "Hello, Alice." he said.

I pulled out a magazine from my backpack. I began reading to bide the time.

"Really? What did you see?" He turned away, listening. "Mmm…. Well, that's something to consider."

I could see from my peripheral vision that he was pacing a little before turning back toward me, looking intently at me. "Let's see how it goes. I'm sure you'll be the first to know." He paused, listening again. "Yes, I'll try. Chances are good right now. I'll talk to you later."

He closed the phone and glided back to me.

"Sorry, that was my sister. I must apologize: I've been rude, asking all these questions and not even introducing myself." He smiled. "I'm Edward Cullen."

_Wow, NICE smile Edward_. _Wait. Edward?_

"Edward?" I asked.

"Yes."

"Not Ed? You go by Edward?

"Yes."

"Oh."

He was puzzled. "Oh?"

"That's... different. I can't say that I've met too many 'Edwards', I guess." _What a stupid statement! Why are you questioning the guy's name?_

"And you are?" He inclined his head toward me and started to offer his hand.

Just then the door to the great hall opened. A man in a gi and black belt with red writing on it stepped out. He looked around and noticed me. "Isabella Swan?" he asked.

I stood, putting my magazine away. I looked at Edward and pointed at myself. "Bella," I said looking back at the karate teacher.

"I'm Renshi Clark. I'm sorry to have kept you waiting," he said.

"It's no problem," I responded. I looked at Edward, whose hand was still out for the shaking. I looked at his hand and then shook it quickly. Immediately, I felt a jolt, almost like an electric current when I touched him. His hand was a bit cold. I looked back up into his eyes… were they green? I hadn't noticed before, although not surprising since I typically didn't stare at people's faces. "Well, it was nice meeting you, Edward."

Edward smiled again. "It was a pleasure, Bella. I hope that I run into you again."

I smiled and walked over to Renshi Clark, shaking his outstretched hand. _Hmm. No jolt there. Must have been static electricity with Edward._ I followed the Sensei into the room.

Exiting the class a half-hour later, I glanced around and saw no sign of my odd new acquaintance. I pushed open the heavy doors and turned left on the sidewalk to walk the eight long blocks back to my home.

_Walk defensively_, _this is Hyde Park after all_. As I began to make my way home, I got an odd sense of being followed. Looking around, I saw nothing. My goodness, I could freak myself out with my imagination! Then again, better to be safe than sorry. I picked up the pace, kept my iPod in my bag and my shoulders up. _Look confident. Walk with a purpose._

I couldn't wait to learn Karate.

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**A/N: The story will unfold slowly. Please stay with me. First time writing ANYTHING like this. Please review.**

_Post A/__N: Thanks to the lovely Irritable Grizzzly for her beta work on these and all other chapters._**  
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	2. Watching

**Disclaimer: The characters of Twilight are owned by Stephenie Meyer. The content, ideas and intellectual property of this story and the 'American Vampire Series' in its entirety are owned by Just4ALE.**

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Chapter 2: Watching**

**EPOV**

I waited for her to exit the building and followed her home. She looked around a little, as if she sensed my presence, but I knew she couldn't see me. It was dark. I stayed to the shadows and I moved in the normal way to stay invisible. She walked purposefully and swiftly... a good practice in this part of Chicago.

I had just met a true anomaly among humans, I was sure of it. Bella. A bit of a jolt to my 100-year old system.

I had lived among humans for over 80 years. I liked to think of myself as civilized and not as one of those monsters we had once been. Of course, there was nothing as wholly satisfying as leaning over a warm throbbing human vein to bite and drink deeply, but I resisted. I'd sustained myself on animals for the first 30-odd years, and since we had developed our own blood bank network over the past 50 years, I had no need to feed on live humans.

However, ever so rarely, a scent would be very… tempting to me. Humans all smelled different. Their individual energies combined with their blood type each gave off a unique scent.

I smelled her as soon as she walked into the hall: a very powerful scent, so attractive and… appetizing. Venom started flowing as soon as I smelled it. She was untouched, unspoiled, I was sure of it. So odd. When I approached her, I realized she wasn't as young as she smelled. She was a graduate student, which meant she was likely in her 20s, but she had the smell of a just blooming 15 year old.

A virgin girl who had blossomed gave off a particularly tasty smell. Like a fine Bordeaux, a virginal woman improved with age. However, virgins were harder to come by in these modern times, particularly ones past their teen years.

I couldn't stop myself from approaching, and had she been more normal, I might not have been able to stop myself from taking her after class. But to her good fortune, she gave off nothing but her scent after I approached her.

She radiated no additional energy. Nothing. This was another oddity. Humans were insecure creatures and they craved attention or validation from external sources. The more the need, the more energy they gave off, and sometimes sucked from others. I found it ironic that we vampires had the bad reputation for sucking.

Fear was one of the most powerful sources of energy. Adrenaline boosted the human's 'aura' – for lack of a better word – up a few notches. That is why some vampires liked to scare their victims before they attacked: it helped enhance the experience. Of course, lust was another powerful energy source… but that was an entirely different experience for us.

She gave off nothing. Well, not quite nothing. I noticed a small change after she left the class. Her energy level was up slightly. Excitement colored her and changed her, but it vanished quickly as she walked down the street. Her thoughts, unlike most everyone else's that were readily available for me to hear, were locked up tight in her head.

At first, it was unnerving, not being able to hear her. I hadn't encountered anyone like this before. _She must be very self-assured_. She was so self-contained during our conversation. I was powerfully and inexplicably drawn to her. Alice had been right; this one was going to be important.

Vampires had talents, some of us more so than others. We could manipulate our prey quite easily: that was quite common to all of us. Some of us had additional abilities, like my mind-reading. While my 'sister' Alice remembered nothing of her human life, we believe that she had been psychic … really psychic, not one of those store-front fakes. She had visions all of the time, which could shift rapidly based on the changing minds of the subjects involved. Because she didn't want to influence our decisions, she only shared when she felt it was truly necessary. That night, she felt the need to share.

"Hello, Alice."

I heard the light little worried voice on the other end. "Edward, I just had a vision about you."

_I'll bet she did._ "Really? What did you see?"

"A girl… a human girl. Well, not a girl but young woman. Brown eyes, brown hair. Edward, she's important."

_Important? I'm sure. She might break my long streak of abstinence. _

Since I didn't respond, Alice clued in immediately. "She's there with you now, isn't she?"

"Mmm…" I started to pace a bit.

Her tone grew more concerned. "Don't kill her."

I stopped in my tracks. _Kill her._ The words were so harsh to my ears. I wasn't a monster and I didn't want to become one - but the scent! And she wasn't even excited in any way. "Well, that's something to consider."

"I'm not joking, Edward. There's something big with this one. Leave her be tonight and we can talk more about this. Jazz and I can be on the first flight out tomorrow to be with you if you need us." I turned back to look at the young woman. She was reading a magazine. Her hair was pulled up into a high ponytail; some strands had come loose and she took her hair down, shook her long mane once and then gathered it all back up into the band she'd put around her wrist. Her scent wafted over to me once again just from this minute action; she was a virgin, I was sure of it. _Ah, so nice_.

I realized Alice was still speaking. "Edward, did you hear me? Pay attention! DO NOT HURT HER."

"Let's see how it goes. I'm sure you'll be the first to know. "

Alice's tone changed. "Hmm, looks like the vision is shifting. I think she'll be safe for tonight. Okay, Edward, remember… leave her be."

I stared at the young woman. She was interesting looking. She had a heart-shaped face, pale skin like mine, with brown hair that had subtle shades of red in it. Her lips were full and her eyes were brown, in-between the shades of milk and dark chocolate. "Yes, I'll try. Chances are good right now. I'll talk to you later."

Curiosity led me to trail her over the next few weeks. I was hoping to see her energy level in a higher state. It was a dangerous line for me to walk, knowing that I shouldn't hope to see her energy elevated, but all the time hoping that I would. I kept very close, close enough to take her if the moment arose, but I never did. Instead, I learned a great deal about her.

Her name was Isabella Swan, Bella for short. She grew up in Phoenix with her mother, but spent her last two years of high school in Forks, Washington living with her dad. She went to Dartmouth as an undergraduate, which meant she had above average intelligence. She worked as a management consulting analyst in Boston after college before moving to Chicago for business school.

At first I took her for shy. She wasn't as outgoing as many of the women in the program. She tended to stay on the fringe of group settings, sitting by herself in the back of the classroom, close to the door, not really going up to anyone on her own to address them.

She had made some acquaintances over the semester and she gravitated toward them in any social setting. It made sense - most humans did that - but meeting friends of theirs was another story.

As the days went on, I realized it wasn't shyness at all. She was very reserved. Her body language among the rest of her peers was different. Watching her meet new people, she was like ice. They gushed, friendly, eager to meet a new potential friend or business colleague; she just watched with eyes that evaluated, giving a nod or a quick hello and nothing more. She didn't feel the need to impress anyone or volunteer information. In her classes, she hardly ever spoke, but answered the questions when specifically asked.

She also dressed differently. I noticed that she rarely wore the standard blue jeans that every one of her classmates wore. She often wore a turtleneck or, when she didn't have that covering her neck, she wore a scarf, both indoors and out. She often kept her hair clipped back, a barrette holding back her bangs or a band keeping her hair high up on the back of her head. I wasn't a fashion expert but I knew the clogs she wore weren't trendy. In fact, I think she knew her clogs weren't trendy; I overheard her saying to someone that she'd be very stylish in Denmark. When she wasn't wearing those clogs, she wore little black sneakers that blended with her black pants. She never wore make-up, save for some light color applied to her full lips.

Unbeknownst to her, she attracted several admirers, whose vulgar thoughts bombarded my head. Women were a scarcity at the school: sweet, honest, down-to-earth attractive women were even rarer. She went to pub nights regularly to meet up with her friends and often was introduced to yet another male ogling at her. She never seemed to notice.

Oh, I watched her alright. I watched her in the student lounge eating a light lunch and at breakfast with her friends. I saw her go to the Thai food place around the corner from her house quite frequently, ordering the same dish each time. I watched her temper her hot coffee with milk and sweetener at the coffee shop and then walk to school drinking out of her large cup.

She varied her walk each day so that no one would peg her to a pattern and follow her, but clearly she didn't account for vampire stalking talents. She was very observant on campus and as she walked to and from school, but didn't see me in her usual spots… getting her morning coffee, getting take out at her Thai restaurant. I was there, most of the time, but she didn't really look around, except to be friendly to the familiar wait staff at each of these places.

Karate brought her energy level up two to three notches. She was clearly enjoying her class and with each lesson she appeared to walk straighter and taller. It was actually quite amazing to watch the progression. She took to it like a natural… and it changed the way she carried herself. It was a subtle change, but to someone who had been watching her every move, it was obvious to me.

My favorite part of watching her was on her walk to school. She often walked the mile to school in the cold and hitched a ride here or there with classmates back to her apartment if it was particularly cold or late. When she walked, she didn't look up that often; rather, she watched the sidewalk carefully, with the occasional look up to watch out for others. Most of the time when she was alone, she listened to her iPod. She rarely sang out loud; instead, she only mouthed the words. The brief times she did, she looked around to see if anyone was in earshot, and then she whispered the song.

Then, every so often, she'd select a song that sent her… somewhere else completely. One minute she'd forward a song to a certain part and the next her eyes were unfocused and she was elsewhere. Her hands moved vaguely and sometimes her eyes closed as she listened intently. Her breath would halt and toward the end, her heart would beat faster. What I wouldn't give to read her mind during those times! Wherever she was at that moment, I wanted to be there.

What kind of music could do that to her? Very little seemed to affect her and yet some odd piece of music heightened her emotional state to a level that made her seem… I don't know … fulfilled. It happened every time. I couldn't imagine what images were conjured up in her head. She often blasted this music and I could hear it a little in the distance with my acute hearing. It was not a soft piece of music but rather one with drums and electric guitar. Something must have happened to her once while that music was playing that brought her back to that place each time. I knew it wasn't sex -- her smell was clear on that. But what?

She went home at the holidays and I found that I felt an odd void in my life. At first I pegged it as boredom. I'd been playing this stalking game for so many weeks now that I missed the daily intrigue. Day after day, night after night, after so many years of being a vampire, any kind of change was interesting.

As the weeks wore on, I realized the void was something else entirely. I missed seeing her face. I had been getting bold in the days before she left: sometimes I passed close to her as she walked by me, trying to see how it was that she walked along without actually looking up, or to catch a glimpse of her full-on when she went into that odd trance.

As I became more honest with myself, I realized that I'd been hoping she'd look up and recognize me, but she never did. It was really quite interesting to see how she maneuvered around crowds without actually seeing around her; she didn't want to make eye contact with anyone and she never did until she hit campus when there was a chance that she might see a karate or business school classmate. Her peripheral vision gave her a clear sense of what was in her way and around her so that she could pace herself around whatever obstacle was coming. She would get very impatient when someone didn't obey the walking rules she'd set in her head. If I'd been smart, I would have broken one of these rules just to engage her earlier, but I didn't think of it until she was actually gone.

It was during this absence that I realized my world felt lonely without her in it. I didn't have her in it for real, but the time I'd spent watching her had made me feel more complete. The desire to bite her, ever present, had been knocked down a few pegs to make room for a different desire: to speak to her again. I wanted to hear her voice, to see her eyes look directly at me, to have her tell me her secrets. Since she didn't ever reveal anything that she didn't care to reveal, this would take some effort on my part.

After weeks of watching her, however, a little effort would be nothing. I was a civilized and patient vampire; I was willing to do a little work to get to know Bella the proper way.

I couldn't wait for her to get back from her vacation.

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**A/N: The story will unfold slowly. Please stay with me. First time writing ANYTHING like this. Please review.**


	3. A Second Meeting

**Disclaimer: The characters of Twilight are owned by Stephenie Meyer. The content, ideas and intellectual property of this story and the 'American Vampire Series' in its entirety are owned by Just4ALE.**

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Chapter 3: A Second Meeting**

**BPOV**

With the fall trimester over and the winter one beginning, I had finally eased into the flow of the daily B'school life. I was never one to make friends quickly or easily. Generally careful where I placed my trust and loyalties, I chose to bide my time and seek out lasting friendships rather than loose acquaintances.

Hence my frustration with the endless superficial conversations that happened each Thursday at Pub Night and each Friday at the 4pm beer fests. Really, how many times could I possibly talk about where I used to work and where I hoped to land a summer job? What I'd heard about B'school had been correct: it was a two-year job search and you never knew which of these folks was a potential employer or co-worker who could help you land a job. I didn't like the idea of getting to know people so that I could use them in the future, but I did need to learn how to 'network.'

I also hoped that with the ratio weighted toward males, I'd be able to learn to deal with them. Growing up, I really didn't understand boys. I had great girlfriends and I'd become pals with a bunch of guys over the years, only to find out, uncomfortably, that they had developed unspoken or sometimes - if they were so bold - spoken feelings for me. I didn't know what drove that; I never tried to flirt with them and truthfully, I wasn't sure that I knew how.

But it had happened often enough that I was doubly cautious here at B'school. If I was going to be in the business world, I wanted to learn balance in all aspects... work and home, business and friendships, men and women. If I was going to work in male-dominated environments, I didn't need to walk into these weird crushes again. If I was giving off any type of vibe, I was hoping that my time here would help me figure out what that vibe was.

I'd already learned from my newer friends here that they had considered me unapproachable when they first met me. Apparently, I gave off some impression that indicated I already had enough friends. It was off-putting, I'd been told.

Who would have thought that I, Bella Swan, could ever be viewed as intimidating? It was kind of funny. In high school, anyone could intimidate me: one odd comment or look and I would blush furiously, embarrassed as hell. Now, here I was at 25, some brief work experience behind me and I was the one who scared them. They felt that I should just be open and accepting of my classmates; I believed trust should be earned. I wasn't going to grant it willingly to people I'd just met.

However, as part of this grand learning experience, I did think I should TRY to be friendly. Which is why I decided to sit in the lounge every once in a while, in between classes, rather than hide somewhere to eat lunch privately. Each night, to help my networking skills, I would look at the student guide to try to match the faces of the people I met that day to their names, which I always forgot. So far it was working well.

That said, I couldn't help putting on the iPod every once in a while to block out the daily chatter. Usually, I brought my GAMES magazine with me. Today, I sat peacefully in a corner of the lounge making a list of the things I needed to accomplish this week and eating my small bowl of pasta. No one had disturbed me yet; iPods were often a universal sign for 'don't bother me.'

Suddenly, I saw a hand tapping the iPod. _Hmmm, someone can't read signs_. I looked up and was surprised at who I found attached to the hand.

It wasn't one of my classmates. I was taken aback by the mussed-up copperish hair and the green eyes that looked at me. It took me a second or two to place him.

"Edward… right?"

He smiled. "Yes, you remembered. Nice to see you again, Bella."

Wow, when had I met him? November? I instantly remembered that first night of Karate. "I told you that there aren't too many Edwards out there. This is a surprise; it has been a while."

"It has. Did you ever sign up for that Karate class?"

I nodded. "Yep."

He smirked. "Is it as intimidating as you thought?"

I looked down at my iPod. "Actually, it's great," I answered.

"How so?" he pressed.

I looked back up at him, and then my eyes wandered over his shoulder as I thought about it. "I was a bit of a klutz through high school and it has only been over the past several years that my sense of balance stabilized. In college I took dance classes and it actually helped a bit. Here at U of C, I wanted to take Karate to learn self defense while in Hyde Park, but it is also brings a different sense of balance to my time here. Group meetings are far less frustrating when I've spent an hour during the day kicking and punching." _Gosh, I volunteered a mouthful._ My eyes made it back to his face.

He laughed. He had an interesting smile…not too toothy, and seemingly genuine. I decided to not be rude and see if he cared to sit. "Were you on your way somewhere or would you like to join me for a little bit? I have a class in about 45 minutes."

He nodded. "I'd love to, thanks." He sat down.

"So what are you doing here in the B'school lounge?"

"I frequent all of the lounges, in search of quiet space and better food."

"Ah. Good luck with that… you'll find neither here."

He chuckled. "So what were you listening to before I so rudely interrupted you?"

"My iPod," I responded.

He cocked his head and rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I gathered that. What play list?"

He picked up the iPod and reviewed the song that I'd paused. His brow furrowed as he looked a little surprised. "Are you playing Yo Yo Ma?"

"Well, he's one of the artists. It's actually the theme from Cinema Paradiso." I said somewhat sheepishly.

"Movie soundtracks?"

I nodded. "Some Cirque shows too."

"Really?" He seemed intrigued.

"Yeah, I know it is a weird playlist."

"Could I hear one?" he asked.

I was taken aback for a second. "Do you want to? Do you like movies?"

"Yes and yes. I'm now curious about this." He was about to pick up the iPod, but I grabbed it first. "Wanna try to guess the movie?"

He raised an eyebrow and smirked. "A challenge?"

I shrugged. "Not necessarily," I said, nonchalantly. "You don't have to if you don't think you can do it."

His eyes narrowed and he pursed his lips. "So you are challenging me. What is the prize?"

"Glory? See if you can name that tune."

He bowed his head slightly. "Sounds good."

Suddenly, I realized that this would be difficult with only my headphones.

"Okay, only one thing. I need to hear how quickly you're getting it. Well, not need to but I'd like to track the trigger point for you to see how good you are at this. Do you mind sharing the earphones? I'll listen to the right and you can listen to the left. I don't think it will handicap you... unless your hearing isn't great."

Edward paused for the briefest of seconds, holding his breath, then he breathed out and stared me in the eyes. His voice was steady but low. "My hearing is excellent." He took an ear bud and put it in his left ear. I put the other in my right. Our heads were a bit close, but not any closer than folks reading an assignment together. I picked a song out of his view and pressed play.

After five notes, he said, "The Piano. Too easy."

I picked another. After another few notes, he said, "Last of the Mohicans."

I was amazed. "Damn, you're good…" I murmured.

"You sound surprised," he said softly. "Next one."

This one would be easy, but it had a twist. After three notes, he guessed. "Clair de Lune. Debussy."

I was smug. "Yes, but name the movie though."

He frowned. "Oh, hmmm. I don't know."

"Ocean's Eleven. End of movie. Okay, two hits, one miss." I selected another one.

He rolled his eyes. "Please. Star Wars… The Empire Strikes Back."

I pulled the earbud out of my ear, sat back in my chair and exhaled. "Okay, you're killing me here!" I was having so much fun: movies were my thing. And he was great at this! With each song, I was becoming more aware of his physical proximity and that amazing smell of his soap or whatever it was. I tried to ignore it and focus on the game with my new acquaintance.

Edward stiffened. "Killing you? Why?"

"Star Wars is an easy pick. But Empire? VERY well done."

"My favorite of the series."

I nodded as I leaned in and put the earbud back in. "Mine too. I like your tastes."

He looked at me out of the corner of his eyes, a sly smile on his lips. There was amusement and yet seriousness behind his eyes. "And I suspect that I would like your… tastes."

_That sounded odd. Hmmm. _I pressed another. He seemed stumped. I was shocked. "What? How could you miss that? It was the number one movie last year. Pirates of the Caribbean!"

"I've been busy working."

I acquiesced. "Okay, I'll give you that. Next."

We continued for about 15 minutes. He got Dances with Wolves and The Natural but missed The Lord of the Rings. It was incredible.

"Okay, here you go," I said. "Last one. If you get this, I'll…" Oops. I stopped immediately and my face started to flush. I couldn't believe what I had been about to say.

His eyes flashed to mine, blatantly curious. "You'll what?"

I made up something quickly. "I'll give you a dollar with the glory."

He gazed seriously at me. In that silky voice of his, he said, "That wasn't what you were going to say though."

I could feel the flush deepening. I looked down at the iPod. "But it is what I said."

"You really won't tell me?"

"Nope. Ready to try for the dollar?"

I pressed play one last time. I wondered if he would get this one. I thought I might pass out if he actually did.

The music went on. Almost a half a minute had passed. He wasn't going to get it.

I watched his eyes as they stared outward, almost blank. He was concentrating hard, but after a minute, he shook his head. His face was disappointed. "I don't think I recognize it."

I exhaled. _Thank God_. "Ah… The Shawshank Redemption."

"Hmmm. Again, I don't think I know that."

I took the earbud out of my ear and sat back again. "Okay, seriously? You haven't seen it?"

He removed the earbud from his ear and set it gently on the table. Then with his head still somewhat down, he raised his eyes up to meet mine. "No," he breathed.

I felt his incredible cool breath wash over me as his 'bedroom eyes' look stunned me for a second. I blinked to shake it off. "Wow," I responded. "You've missed out on a great one."

He picked up the iPod and scrolled through the list. "So how did you organize this?"

"Sort of by musical sound… you know, westerns lumped together, then as they pick up in tempo… action films. Piano segments/quiet pieces together. Then at the end, they go in ascending order up until my favorite."

He cocked his head. "Shawshank is your favorite movie then?"

"Yes."

"Interesting. I'll have to see it sometime to see what intrigues you, Ms. Swan."

I flushed again and looked down. He was unnerving me. I had worked for so long not to let people fluster me and today I was turning pink like crazy. "Yes, you should," I mumbled quickly. "I have it if you'd like to borrow it sometime."

He smirked at me again. I think he liked seeing me embarrassed. "So are you going to tell me what you were going to say?"

"Nope. Movin' on."

He chuckled. "Okay, different question. Are any of these songs the one you zone out to when you're walking to school?"

I was puzzled. "Zone out to?"

"Uh, yes. I've seen you walking to and from classes here and there, and…"

I interrupted him. "When? Why haven't I seen you?"

He waved one hand casually. "I've been with colleagues mostly, walking to other buildings or sitting with them in discussions. I noticed that sometimes your eyes go blank, your hands start moving slightly and you look like you're somewhere else."

I knew then what he witnessed. He sure was observant. No one had asked me about that before. I smiled. "Oh, no. Not movie soundtracks, no."

He leaned closer to me and gave me a slight nudge on my shoulder with his. "Would you tell me?"

I gave it up… I wasn't embarrassed about the song. "It's a Genesis song that I love."

He seemed surprised. "Oh. What is the…?" Suddenly he was distracted.

I followed his eyes over my shoulder and saw three guys approaching. My summer program friends. "Hey guys. What's up?"

The guys looked at me and then to Edward. Ben spoke first. "Sorry, Bella, are we interrupting a meeting or something?"

"No, we were just chatting. Edward, these are some of my friends here… Ben, Eric, Tyler – Edward." I said, gesturing among them.

"Are you a student here?" Tyler asked suspiciously.

"Grad student in Biology." he answered tersely. At that, Edward stood up. "Well, I must go. It was good to meet you all. Bella, it was nice to see you again. I'll likely see you around campus."

"Oh, okay." I was a little disappointed. It had been a fun half hour. "See you."

I watched him as he left and my friends made themselves comfortable at the table. Before leaving the room, he turned to look at me. Catching me looking, he winked.

I could feel my face turning colors again. I smiled and then turned back to my friends.

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**A/N: The story will unfold slowly. Please stay with me. And please review.  
**


	4. The Formal

**Disclaimer: The characters of Twilight are owned by Stephenie Meyer. The content, ideas and intellectual property of this story and the 'American Vampire Series' in its entirety are owned by Just4ALE.**

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Chapter 4: The Formal**

**EPOV**

I walked away from the student lounge, amazed that I was able to actually walk away from her. It was a dangerous game I had been playing there, sitting so close to her. I noticed she grew increasingly excited as we listened to her iPod. I also noticed some slight elevation in her hormones; I think my physical proximity was getting to her too. Her scent was intoxicating me and my mouth had started tingling. We were lucky that the lounge had all of those cameras around.

I also realized as I left that Tyler was going to be a problem.

Of the 'friends' swirling around her, most of them genuinely seemed to be friends. Then there was Tyler. Unlike the others, he didn't really pay attention when females spoke; he just smiled a cheesy-ass smile, nodding and agreeing with the woman who spoke to him, but half the time he wasn't looking them in the eye, but rather at the woman's lips or body. He tried to carry himself off as a nice decent guy but he was a bumbling, lecherous fool.

I watched him around the various women over the next few weeks as he started to hone his attention primarily on one: Bella. She didn't seem the slightest bit interested in him, but he was trying to stake a claim. He seemed a little possessive considering their non-relationship.

At a certain point, I overheard him invite her to a formal dance. She accepted, politely, and seemed genuinely pleased about going, but then I became aware of a little incident between them that happened about a week or so before the dance. He invited her to a second-year party and then became angry with her when she decided to leave earlier than he wanted her to. I overheard her relaying the incident to another female classmate, Leah, who had recently escaped Tyler's attention. They both agreed that she ought to give him an out from the formal if he thought it was anything more than friendship.

_Yeah, that's going to go over well_. This, I had to see. I hoped she did this when I was stalking, I mean, hanging nearby. Bella seemed quiet, but she was actually rather feisty.

As luck would have it, I did happen to overhear her speak with him. Okay, it was actually more than luck considering the way I tracked her every move.

Bella pulled Tyler over to some benches in an alcove outside one of the classrooms. "So, I'm a little concerned about your reaction at the party the other night."

Tyler smiled his shit-eating grin at her. Based on her conversation with her friend Leah, they weren't fooled by his facial reactions. Leah had pointed it out.

"_I think it's creepy. He's not even paying attention most of the time."_

_Bella agreed. "His eyes don't match his mouth when he smiles. It's weird."_

"What do you mean?" Tyler asked. _I wonder what she wears to bed._

"Well, you were really angry with me, but you had no reason for it. We went to the party together but we're not dating. I didn't have to stay with you. So based on your reaction, it occurred to me that you might think that we're dating."

Tyler's eyes narrowed but he kept smiling. _Great, she's just like all them, a little cockteaser._

Bella continued, slowly. "So, if that is the case, I wanted to let you know that you don't have to take me to the formal. I thought you intended it to be as friends, which was why I accepted, but you should ask someone else if you want a real date."

His face contorted underneath his mask, but he kept the odd smile. _Bitch. She probably got asked to go by some other guy. Screw her, I'm not backing down._ "No, no, we should go anyway. Friends is fine with me."

"Seriously, Tyler. I'm okay if you want to get out of it."

"No, no, let's go. I'm sure we'll have a nice time." _Maybe I can get her drunk…_

"Okay." she said softly, frowning as she walked away from him.

~#~

Over the next several days, I spent time around the campus to see if I could run into Bella. Despite knowing her schedule by heart, I wasn't able to find a casual way to manage this. I didn't want to look like I was trying too hard. While I was trying to meet up with her, I picked up something else. Bella had attracted the attention of some new classmate due to her participation at some business school club function. I didn't like the energy that was radiating in her direction, and I certainly couldn't stand his thoughts... they were lewd, more lewd than Tyler's if that was possible. I became more uneasy each day.

I realized the uneasiness was morphing into a general dislike for this guy – Mike. He was an all-American guy, good-looking but a little too smooth for her, as far as I was concerned. Bella didn't seem too swayed by guys who said what girls wanted to hear, but the situation was kind of odd. I noticed that Tyler was making her less comfortable as a slight hostility started to creep into his behavior toward her. He was going to send her right into the all-too-eager arms of some other lech. My antenna was up and I knew that Mike Newton was looming.

At a certain point, the dislike became hatred. He angered me to no end. I finally pinpointed that I was jealous. Jealous! It was irrational. Bella hadn't expressed a preference for Mike… she was just being friendly. Still, it was something to watch. I decided I WOULD watch: I was going to go to this dance.

I managed to manufacture a reason to be at the formal; as one of my many past degrees was in business, I was able to attend as a teaching fellow.

When Saturday night came, I stayed on the fringe. I had no colleagues to sit with, nor was I interested in dinner, so I showed up late and wandered around the edge of the event looking for Bella. At last I found her, sitting at a table with Tyler and other friends. Her hair was straighter than usual and she had a bit of make-up on, which accentuated her natural beauty. She was dressed in a lovely deep blue and silver strapless cocktail dress and low heels. It was almost a shock to see her; it occurred to me that despite her obvious girlishness, she usually dressed fairly tomboyish. I had so often seen her in her karate gear, I never imagined her in formal wear. It actually took my breath away.

I could hear what was going on at the table; Tyler was acting more hostile than ever, barely covering up his actual thoughts and making several of their tablemates uncomfortable. Bella raised her champagne glass signaling for more; I could see that she planned to drink her annoyance away. At that moment, my phone rang. Alice. This couldn't be good.

"Edward, stop her," she said quickly.

"What do you mean?"

Her voice sounded worried. "I had a vision… of a man around her who would be bad for her."

"Are you sure that man isn't me, Alice?"

She ignored me. "He's a big blond guy, Edward. He'll take advantage of her. Stop her from drinking or at least stop her from going with him. Get her to leave early."

My body froze. "With me?"

She paused. "Nooo," she said slowly. I surmised she was evaluating the alternatives. "No, she needs to go home alone."

"I'll do my best Alice. Thank you." I started to hang up but Alice called out one last thing.

"Oh, and Edward?"

"Yes?"

"She's stunning. I can see why you're falling in love with her." I could hear the smile in her voice. She hung up.

I hung up, my mind swirling. _YES, she is stunning. Wait, falling in love with her? Am I?_

I couldn't think about that now. I focused on the rest of Alice's vision. Stop her. _Stop her how?_

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**A/N: Okay, it will start to pick up from here. Thanks for reading. Feedback will be appreciated. I'm totally new to fiction.**


	5. A Warning

**Disclaimer: The characters of Twilight are owned by Stephenie Meyer. The content, ideas and intellectual property of this story and the 'American Vampire Series' in its entirety are owned by Just4ALE.**

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Chapter 5: A Warning**

**EPOV**

I looked back to Bella's table and saw her get up. She indicated that she was going to the restroom, but I was sure that she just needed an excuse to get away from Tyler.

I looked around the room, hearing him before actually spotting him. _Bella is looking HOT tonight! I've got to get her alone sometime._ The lech, Mike. His eyes were on her, looking to see where she went. If I had a chance, I was going to crush his skull. _Not a good idea, Edward, not a good idea._

As she worked her way to the ladies room, I decided to take my chance. I lounged around and timed my approach so that I ran into her before she made it back to her table.

She walked out of the restroom, looking down, as always. Afraid she'd pass me by, I knocked over a tray of napkins that were about four feet to her right behind a column. She looked up, surprised, and then, looking around, walked over to pick them up. I came over to her quickly, bending down to assist as well. Unfortunately from this angle, I could see a little down her strapless dress. I cut off my inappropriate thoughts before they side-tracked me from my goal.

"I think they have wait staff to handle this," I said.

Her head bobbed up and she looked at me, surprised. "Edward?"

"Hello, Bella." We stood, putting the napkins back on the tray.

"Hi," she said smiling. Her eyebrows creased looking at me. "What are you doing here?" Then she gave a sly, almost flirty look, the alcohol clearly making her bolder than usual. "Are you stalking me?"

_Oh, if she only knew._

I laughed. "As a TF, I'm invited to these events. I came with some colleagues." I gestured at her outfit. "You look lovely tonight." That was an understatement. Moreover, she smelled lovely as well, in her usual tasty kind of way. I quickly tried to toss that one out of my head.

She flushed a little. "Thank you… you look very nice as well," she said, nodding.

I paused, trying to figure out the best way to approach this. Maybe get her away from the dinner area for a brief moment, but not too far. Hmmm. A plan quickly formed. "Have you been to the Field Museum before?" I asked, gesturing around us.

"No," she said looking around. "I wish I had before tonight. I love the Museum of Natural History in New York. I'd like to compare it. I love the gem room there."

_Whew!_ As luck would have it, gems were in a case around the corner. "Gems?" I asked. "They have gems over there," I gestured. "Do you want to have a look?"

She looked back to the dinner tables and dance floor, weighing her choices. I could tell she wasn't thrilled about going back to the table. I gently prodded. "You won't be gone for long. It is just a small part of the exhibit here."

She turned back to me and nodded. "Okay." We walked over in that direction.

"Are you having a nice time?" I asked, knowing the answer. Her energy level had been at a negative two for most of the evening until now.

"Unfortunately, not so much," she answered honestly.

"I'm sorry to hear it," I responded. "Why not?"

She shrugged. "My 'date' isn't being so nice."

By now we were at the jewel case.

"Oh!" she exclaimed, looking at the gems. "I love the one in New York City. They had this ginormous gold chunk there that I loved to look at whenever I visited my grandma. HUGE."

"Why did you like it?" I asked, puzzled. I really should have gotten on to the issue at hand but the comment surprised me and I had to know.

"We weren't rich. To me, gold and shiny things were rich things. You should see the gaudy rhinestone jewelry I bought for my mom to make her look rich when I was a little kid." She giggled, shaking her head.

My several months of watching her had led me to determine many things about her and I was pleased that my assessment had been spot on: she was very sweet and caring underneath that icy exterior. Most people wouldn't admit something silly like that. I was pleased she shared it with me. I had this sudden urge to reach out and touch her cheek.

She then looked back around to the dinner area. "I guess I should go back," she sighed. She turned to go and I reached out to stop her, touching her hand. It was a jolt to me again, just like the first night we met. I could tell she felt the electricity as well. She seemed surprised by my touch. I let go quickly, not allowing myself to linger on her warmth.

"Bella, about your date…"

"Yeah?" she said, grimacing.

"I can tell he's annoying you but whatever you do, try not to let him get to you. I noticed you had a couple of glasses of champagne."

She cocked her head. "You did?"

There was no time to get into it. I just took a breath and decided to say it, no matter how confusing or odd. "Look, I don't know you well but it seems to me that you don't have a high tolerance for alcohol, and Tyler's behavior is going to push you over the edge. I heard him... he's being horribly rude. Please watch yourself with the drinks."

She frowned. "Okay…"

"At some point tonight, you're going to see me again. Do me a favor. When you see me, just leave. Make up an excuse, pretend you're ill, just get your stuff and go home."

Her eyes opened and then narrowed again. "Go home… with you?"

"No, not at all. I'm just saying that I'll keep an eye out for you. I'm afraid you've attracted some less than desirable attention… and Tyler will push you in the wrong direction."

She closed her eyes and shook her head. Opening her eyes again, she met my gaze. "I don't understand… can you tell me more?"

I spoke gently and slowly. "I'd prefer not to right now. Just trust me… I know it seems odd but as I said, he'll push you in the wrong direction. So when you see me, just go."

Her eyes grew concerned and then she said, "I'll try to remember that."

She turned to walk back to her table. She looked at me over her shoulder and said, "I guess I'll be seeing you." And then looking down again, she walked back to the dinner area.

~#~

It transpired much as expected. Tyler got ruder by the second, and her friends kept pouring. Bella eventually left the table and started walking to the ladies room again. Her walk was visibly wobblier than before. _Ha! Now's my chance!_ I watched as Mike noticed her getting up and then got up to wander in the same general direction. He was leaning against a column when she came out of the restroom.

"Bella!" he called out.

She looked up, surprised to see him. And then she smiled genuinely. "Mike! What are you doing here?"

"Waiting for you, beautiful." he answered smoothly. _Blech._ If I had eaten anything to throw-up, I would have. Mike was so smooth and disingenuous. Not that she wasn't beautiful… but to just pop out with such a comment so informally. I wanted to rip his tongue out.

She just rolled her eyes as she made her way toward him. She stopped about two feet away from him, looking up at his face. "So why don't I see you around that much?" she asked. "What classes are you in?"

_Knock her out with the smarts, Mike._ "I've got Fama this semester," he answered, trying to impress her. She seemed intrigued that they had such different schedules.

"So who are you here with?" she asked.

It happened before she or I could stop it. _I'm going for it. Look at her body language; she wants me, no doubt._ He moved in quickly, putting his hand on her waist and pulling her close to kiss her. My fingers dug into the marble column on which I had been leaning. _Shit. _I scraped the marble a little to smooth out the holes I'd made to make them look like general erosion.

The kiss was clearly pretty good. Her energy level had escalated, but she pushed him away quickly and her mouth dropped open. "I'm here with a 'date!'" she exclaimed, surprised.

Mike's hand reached out and caressed her collarbone gently. _I wonder if she's a kitten or wildcat in bed._ "Not a very good one or you wouldn't be wandering around all night," he answered smugly. He moved in to kiss her again. This time, she didn't resist. Instead she let him pull her closer. Her energy level escalated again.

_Damn alcohol! Damn hormones! Shit, shit, shit!_ My dead heart ached. It felt like it would burst, watching this play out. I decided that it was time to act. I hoped that she remembered.

After what felt like forever, she pulled away from him, her face flushing red. "I really have to go," she said and turned to walk away. He reached out and grabbed her hand as she started to move. "I'll be around, come find me again." _Your ass is mine tonight, sweetie._

Bella looked confused and her eyes wandered. Suddenly, she saw me leaning against a column about 20 feet away. Her mouth opened slightly and she emitted a little gasp. I waved and her eyes focused. She nodded slightly and then went back to her table.

I heard her tell Tyler and company that she wasn't feeling well and that she was going home. At this point, Tyler had consumed several drinks and was more surly than before. Rudely, and not too discretely, he muttered some more inappropriate comments. She took a deep breath, clamped her mouth shut as if she were holding her tongue and then said goodnight to her friends.

Bella looked around to see where Mike was and quickly found him back at his table. He was ogling her, ready to get up and follow her wherever she went. Tyler followed her glance and his face contorted in anger. She turned and walked the opposite direction from Mike, out toward where I was waiting. Looking at me quickly, she turned to make her way down the long hall to the exit. I kept pace with her, walking at her side about five feet away.

She stopped at the coat check and requested her belongings. I reached for her things before she could take them and held out her coat to help her put it on. As we walked to the door, she pulled on her gloves. She stopped as I held the door open for her. She stared up at me, a bewildered look in her deep brown eyes, clearly wondering what had just happened this evening. "You're going to have to explain this all to me, you know," she said softly.

I nodded. Gently touching her waist, I escorted her down the stairs to the cab I had called for her. I held the door open. She turned again to look at me, her eyes still questioning. Then, she leaned in to hug me. I stiffened, not expecting her to come so close. I could smell that intoxicating scent right under my nose and I felt the warmth and softness of her small frame. I was shocked as I realized that my mouth was tingling again and that it wasn't venom this time that was causing the sensation. _Whoa, Edward! Focus!_ She stepped back. "Good night, Edward. Thanks, I guess."

"Good night… and Bella?" She stopped.

"You really look beautiful tonight," I said, my voice too husky. Even in the odd lighting outside of the museum, I could see the blush on her cheeks. She looked down, embarrassed. I closed the door. Through the window of the taxi, I saw her looking at me and then her eyes shifted to my side and then back to me as the cab drove away.

_Fuck! Is she leaving with that Edward guy? Ah, no, good. _

Behind me, Tyler was running down the stairs to catch up with her, and then he stopped when he realized that she left alone. I turned to look at him, and then noticed Mike looking at us both from the museum door. I growled at Tyler, almost knocking him over as my shoulder hit his, "You should watch your manners!"

_Asshole!_ Tyler huffed loudly and was about to say something, but zipped it as I stared him down. _Shit, the dude looks like a maniac._

I buttoned my coat and looked again at Mike, still watching us both. He saw my murderous glare and eventually backed away from the doors going back to the dance. Glancing around, I noticed no one around and so I ghosted across the parking lot to my car. I zipped out the back way and raced back to her building. Standing in the shadows of her back courtyard, I could see the lights come on in her apartment. Having memorized her number in my many weeks of following her, I took out my cell and dialed.

I could see Bella approach the window to answer the phone that was close by. I heard her sweet voice, "Hello?"

My frozen heart felt like it was warming. "It's Edward. I just wanted to make sure you got home okay."

Bella turned toward the window. I could see her face looking upward at the stars and a small smile stretched across her full lips upon hearing this. She began to remove her jewelry. "Yes, thanks to you." She paused. "Again, you'll have to explain all that sometime."

"Another time," I vowed. "It is a bit late."

I could see her nodding. "Yes. Well, thank you again, I guess."

"Drink some water and have some aspirin," I reminded her.

She laughed. "Good night, Edward."

"Good night, Bella." She hung up.

She looked out the window for another moment and began to unzip her dress. Then she pulled down the shades.

I stayed there until her lights went off and then made my way home.

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**A/N: Aw, Edward really cares. How does Bella feel? Thanks for reading so far. Please review  
**


	6. The Lounge Again

**Disclaimer: The characters of Twilight are owned by Stephenie Meyer. The content, ideas and intellectual property of this story and the 'American Vampire Series' in its entirety are owned by Just4ALE.**

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Chapter 6: The Lounge Again**

**BPOV**

I sat at one of the round tables in the student lounge waiting for my bowl of chili to cool down. With my iPod on the table, I hopefully gave off the correct impression that I didn't want to be bothered.

As I was in between classes, I didn't feel like going back home. I took out my reading lists to see which, if any, could have any progress made while sitting here.

Sitting in the lounge alone wasn't a good idea. Honestly, one was usually never alone for long - it wasn't a large class size so chances were that someone in one of your study groups or classes would come along to make conversation. It would be so much better if I had someone sitting there with me to keep others away.

I realized how antisocial that thought process was, but Edward's odd warning at the Formal had unnerved me. Was there really some danger lurking? From my vantage point, it seemed that the attention I received was not much different than other women here. I didn't notice anything out of the ordinary, aside from Tyler's premature possessiveness and his ridiculous rudeness; I attributed it to immaturity and lack of experience with women. Besides, he had definitely backed off since then, thank God.

I glanced around to the left, trying not to make eye contact with anyone, as if I were looking at the door, expecting someone. I didn't notice anyone paying much attention to me. When I turned around to make the same pretense of a look to the entrance on the right, I was startled to see Edward standing by my table.

His green eyes were smiling. "Hello again, Ms. Swan," he said softly.

"Edward… hi."

"Are you between classes again?" he asked.

"Yep. Every Tuesday and Thursday, this is a pretty typical place to find me." I wondered if he already knew that.

"May I sit with you for a few moments?"

_Hmm. This might keep Edward's imaginary or real wolves away._ At least I wouldn't have to make stupid class work or resume chit-chat. I gestured to the chair across from me. "Sure."

He sat down. "So have you recovered from the Formal?"

"It has been three days, Edward. I didn't drink THAT much," I said, rolling my eyes.

He chuckled. "No, I meant from the almost-scare you had there."

Actually, the main scare I had that night was from him. His warning scared the crap out of me, particularly since I didn't know if it was true. Some of the things he predicted had happened that evening, so giving him the benefit of the doubt at the time made sense. Now, in broad daylight and a few days behind me, I wasn't sure what transpired.

I decided to give it to him straight. "Well, I don't know what actually was going to happen. You were very vague about it. So the scariest thing was you telling me that something scary would happen. But what? How did you know?"

He paused, apparently thinking of how to word it. Speaking slowly, he said, "Let's just say that I'm very in tune with the male population."

"Did you overhear someone saying something about me?"

"In a sense."

This was like pulling teeth. "Why are you being so coy? You stopped it, right? Is the danger still here?" I lowered my voice and leaned toward the table. "Is it something the police need to know about? A stalker or rapist among us at the business school?"

He grimaced. "I don't think rape would have been involved, necessarily, but you draw a LOT of attention from the male population here."

I shook my head. "I don't see that. I draw a lot because there are so few women here… all the women draw a lot of attention. They really like that."

"But you don't."

I took a deep breath. "I don't ask for it. I also don't see it as anything over and above anyone else."

He opened his hands and pointed at me. "Ah, that is because of how you react. Your antennae are pulled in a lot, so A) you don't see it and B) you don't give off the impression that you'd be accepting of it."

I laughed. "I've heard that before. Like I wear a big FU sign on my forehead."

He laughed as well. "I wouldn't say that… but if you were offering THAT to men, they'd be all too willing."

I looked down, my face flushing, embarrassed.

"I'm sorry," he said softly. "You don't put off any 'EFF-Me' signals… look at you now: iPod, food, books. All the good signals saying STAY AWAY."

"Clearly, all good signals you've ignored," I teased.

He smiled gently. "Well, I had a purpose. I wanted to make sure you were okay. Those others would be making up some reason to speak with you."

_Interesting._ "Ah, so this isn't a random meeting?"

"I wasn't sure you'd be here so it was kind of random. I just thought I'd peek in and see," he continued, smiling at me and looking into my eyes. His eyes were actually beautiful. The whole package, the more I forced myself to actually look at him, to make eye contact when speaking with him, was quite something. It unnerved me.

I couldn't look anymore. Looking over his shoulder, I went back to the conversation. "Soooo, I draw attention, but no one acts on it because I have a big stay away sign."

"Well," he said carefully, "you do most of the time… except when alcohol is involved. Then I'd say you're a bit more 'receptive.'"

Yes, alcohol had gotten me in a pickle here and there in the past. When my guard was down, I'd found myself trapped with an octopus or two. I'd had to stop a few stray hands in the past.

"So, I could see where that evening was headed, and I didn't think you'd want to be in an uncompromising position before you were ready for it."

I considered his statement. Uncompromising position before I was ready for it? How did he know if I was or wasn't ready? "Wait, what do you mean?"

He suddenly looked uncomfortable and annoyed at the same time. "Hmmm… Well, if you want me to be blunt, that guy would have taken you home and tried to... to have his way with you." he said through his teeth. "In the state you were heading, and you were nowhere near that but could have been if I hadn't warned you, you might have accepted. I didn't think your first time should be with a stranger."

My mouth dropped open. "What? How do you know whether or not I've done it before?"

"Well have you?"

"Answer my question first."

He breathed in and then exhaled. "You give off a 'vibe' that is quite serious and rather innocent." He spoke slowly at first, but his words started to rush out. "The fact that you don't revel in the attention, and that you haven't been putting out the energy that the other women do, are just things that lead me to wonder whether you've done it. Plus, you seem to hold your emotions in. As such, I doubt that lust would ever play the primary role in driving you unless you were in love OR drunk. That is when you're friendlier. That is when you're susceptible."

I slumped in my chair. "So I carry myself off like a virgin. Great. Maybe that is why I get all the attention you say I'm getting. I hear guys love to be the first."

"Ah, I was correct." He seemed pleased at my admission of sorts. "I don't think they really have noticed to that extent, but I can tell you, in a broad sweeping sense, most guys' intentions are less than honorable. Men are scum."

That took me off guard for a second and I laughed. "Another guy here told me that exact thing! Men are scum. Do you put yourself in that category?"

"My intentions are generally more honorable then their intentions, but I am a man."

I shook my head and rolled my eyes.

"What?" he asked.

"This is yet ANOTHER weird conversation with you. How is it possible that we get into such odd conversations?"

He gestured with his hands open. "What do you mean? This is practically our fourth date. That is precisely when weird conversations occur, no?" He laughed.

_Fourth date? So he _is_ interested?_

I looked down at my hands and took a moment before I spoke. "Um, don't dates usually involve someone asking the other person to do something? Not just random encounters?" I looked back up at him.

He was quiet and then he looked down suddenly at his folded hands. "I guess they do usually involve that."

He said nothing else. I was silent as well. Then I started to get annoyed. Really annoyed. Unreasonably annoyed. I jumped up from the table; I needed to leave before I said something unkind.

"Well, I have to run." I shoved my books in my bag and flung it on my shoulder.

Edward looked up at me, taken aback. "Bella, did I say something wrong?"

I debated saying nothing. But I couldn't stop myself. I whirled around, and leaned over a few inches from his face; I could smell that heavenly scent of his and it made me angrier. "Not here," I hissed. I looked around and for the first time noticed a few tables actually looking our way. One table had three of the more popular women in the program seated at it; they were all gawking at Edward. The other two tables were just guys… and they were watching us both.

I looked back at Edward and kept my voice low. "IF I have all of this attention on me, I'd rather not have them be witness to anything more than what I choose to show them."

I ran out.

~#~

I was pissed off as I walked to my car, which I had thankfully driven to school that day. I had no reason for going to it other than I wanted to sit in a private spot and just listen to the radio or something. I needed to calm down. Damn, I wish I knew more Karate! I'd break a board or something. _Wait, do they break boards in my school? No, this isn't that type of school. Shit!_

I heard my name being called from behind me. My shoulders stiffened. Edward.

I whirled and looked at him and around him, to see if there was anyone else around whom I knew. Unfortunately around campus, it was a free–for-all on the parking. I could run into anyone. Luckily, I didn't see anyone I recognized.

He was walking toward me, carefully, hands in pockets. "I clearly upset you. I'm sorry. What did I say?" he asked gently.

I took in a big breath and exhaled loudly. "You're confusing me, Edward. I don't know what you want. Am I some weird psychology experiment that you're working on in addition to this PhD of yours? See how much you can guess about people and then harass them with it?"

My anger shocked him. "What? No!"

"Then what? You show up telling me about all this male attention but the truth is the most attention I'm getting is from you. You seem to have paid an awful lot of attention to me and my actions over the past few weeks. Wondering about my Genesis song? Wanting me to save my virtue for someone meaningful? What is it to you?"

He looked at me and then shifted his eyes to the side.

Blunt Bella came out in force. "Seriously, I'm okay if what you're looking for is friendship. We haven't crossed any boundaries; you haven't touched me. I'm fine with it, but if that is all you want then you don't get to say that hanging with you is a date to confuse me. You don't get to stop other guys from being interested." I stepped closer to him and poked him in the chest. "You don't get to pee around me to stake a claim that you don't really want."

He was silent, clearly considering all this. I was growing more frustrated by the second. _ANSWER ME!_ I screamed in my head. I glared at him.

Finally he spoke. "I AM interested, Bella," he whispered. He then looked up at me with soft pleading eyes. "I'm sorry that I've been behaving this way. Clearly I'm more interested than I should be. I just didn't know if I wanted to act on it. I slipped with the date comment."

My heart warmed a bit. Okay. Interested might be okay, but more interested than he should be? What did that mean? Married? Engaged? Gay? I stepped back, leaning against my car and folded my arms across my chest. I continued to stare at him.

He took a deep breath before he spoke again. Was he nervous? That seemed odd for him; he always seemed so self-confident.

He looked at me steadily, seriously. "Would you like to go out on a real date with me, Bella?"

I got a little chill when he asked. His voice was smooth, compared to the nervousness I'd perceived. Maybe I was wrong about that. I'd have to see if I could figure this all out when we went out.

"Okay."

And then he smiled.

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**A/N: Hmmm, I think Bella is starting to like this guy. Thanks for reading so far. Please review.  
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	7. Fifth or First

**Disclaimer: The characters of Twilight are owned by Stephenie Meyer. The content, ideas and intellectual property of this story and the 'American Vampire Series' in its entirety are owned by Just4ALE.**

**I also may have borrowed a phrase from True Blood. :)**

**

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Chapter 7: Fifth or First**

**EPOV**

We agreed that I would pick her up around 5pm a week from Thursday at her apartment. She nicely supplied the address and her cell number, although I obviously needed neither; vampire hearing has its advantages and I'd overheard the phone number given to her friends more than once.

As she exited the building, she zipped up her coat and wrapped her scarf around her neck… but not before I noticed the lovely purple v-neck sweater she wore with her typical black pants. _A v-neck! Where was the usual turtleneck? What was she trying to do to me? Thank goodness for the scarf!_

I would have preferred to pick her up in a more public spot, so that her male classmates could see ME taking her out, but it obviously made more sense to do it this way given her schedule. Seriously, she wasn't far off with the peeing around her remark; if I could stake a claim here, I would. However, this was our fifth time together but only our first official date; she needed the chance to get to know me. As much of me as I'd let her know, that was.

These feelings that she brought out in me were quite funny. Odd actually. I felt jealous of the other males in her class. I was truly resentful of Mike for kissing her that night, and I felt regret that I had not been the one to do so. More than anything, I felt hopeful... a feeling I had not felt in so long, and tonight, I couldn't stop myself from hoping she'd like me.

I could smell her as she walked toward me; she'd put on some perfume, which smelled lovely but did nothing to mask the more wonderful smell of her blood. I also noticed her energy level was about a two… which indicated to me that she was excited about the date. She smiled warmly yet shyly as she greeted me; I think she was nervous.

I held her door open and helped her get in. I then walked back to my side and breathed in the cool crisp air; I felt strong. I'd already fed, and I was sure there would be no issues with my being trapped in a car with her. That said, I felt a little nervous myself. It then dawned on me that the nerves were due to my fear of her rejection and not about my will. How surprising that she could disarm me with just her presence. A human. A beautiful human, but a human just the same. My 'brother' Emmett laughed his head off when he learned about Bella from Alice.

"_Edward, what the fuck? Female vampires are easy, dude. You couldn't stick to your own species to get laid? Tanya's been eager to have you back in her bed for years."_

"_Em, knock it off. I'm not looking for an easy lay, you jackass."_

_I had to hold the receiver away from me as his booming laugh came out of the phone. "Yeah, no kidding! Plenty of loose human women out there and you choose the only 25-year old virgin in Chicago." I could almost hear his eyebrows wiggling evilly. "Woo hoo, lucky you!"_

_I stayed silent. Emmett began again. "So what's up? Have you turned carnivorous since you left us? Seriously, why a human? Why this girl?"_

"_I don't know. I can't explain it. I know she'd never be your type; she's almost the complete opposite of Rosalie. But she's… she's something, Emmett. I'm walking a dangerous line here."_

_I heard him chuckling on the other end. "So what's the worst thing that could happen? You bite her and screw up your record. She'll _love_ it; _you'll_ love it. That's a win-win for you both."_

_I flinched. "She doesn't know what I am Emmett. She's not some easy fangbanger…"_

"_Not yet…" he said in a sing-song voice. _

_I ignored him. "…and I don't want to endanger her life."_

"_Then stay away," he said, suddenly serious._

"_I should…"_

"_But you won't, huh?" He chuckled again. "Why are you such a masochist, dude? You know you'll torture yourself trying to do the right thing. Ah, I'll leave you alone for now. Good luck with that."_

Good luck indeed. I needed it.

"So," she began, once I was in the car, "what are we doing tonight?"

"Well," I said carefully, "I thought about going to a movie because I know you love them…" She smiled at me and I paused to stare at that beautiful face before I continued. "But I realized if we did that, I wouldn't be able to talk to you that much sitting in the dark for two hours. And truthfully, I really enjoy talking with you; I'd like to get to know you better."

"Oh," she said, flushing from surprise. "That's a nice thing to say."

"Well, I really mean it. So I thought maybe we could go for a walk around and look a little at the Chicago architecture by night, as the weather is expected to be a little more mild than usual."

"Ok," she answered hesitantly. "I hope you won't mind too much if I end up wimping out if it gets too windy. We may have to sit inside somewhere later on if it gets too cold, but that sounds like fun. I love to see buildings and architecture."

As she agreed, I pulled onto Lake Shore Drive heading north to the city. "I also brought some food so that you wouldn't be starving."

"Me? What about you? Won't you be hungry?"

I was ready for this one. "I have a weird eating schedule. I work nights, so I eat at odd times of the day. I'm never on a normal timeline for food."

She sat back in her seat and folded her arms. "You work nights? How do you manage that with your PhD program and teaching?"

"I work in a biological research lab. My job is pretty menial. I monitor the experiments and cultures they've started through the night, but they let me use the lab space for my own research for my program."

"That's right, I remember you saying to the guys that your PhD is in biology. Wow, I guess I should have asked about this before tonight. I'm a fabulous conversationalist, as you can tell," she said sarcastically.

I smiled. She was so unassuming and self-effacing. "Yes, that is my research area."

"Well, once upon a time, I was a science gal, but that was quite a while ago, so I'm afraid that if you get too in-depth, I won't understand it." She paused. "That said…" she wrinkled her nose and squinted as if hesitant for the answer, "what is your research on?"

I laughed. "Disorders of the blood and how they manifest themselves." Simply put and not quite off the mark. I'd call craving blood a disorder. It was true that I worked nights at this lab. What I didn't tell her was that I was part owner of the lab, which was related to the blood bank network and also researching blood alternatives for vampire sustenance. So the truth was not far off. I considered myself to have a blood disorder and I was trying to figure out a workaround; a cure was very unlikely.

Her eyes opened wider. "Ok, that I can understand. I won't ask more though for fear it will sound like 'wah, wah, wah wah wah wah.'"

I laughed again. "You are amusing." I said. "I won't take it as lack of interest."

I pulled up to a spot and parked. "Wow," she said with admiration in her voice. "You have parking karma! That's nearly impossible in cities: pull up, land a spot!"

"I tend to be lucky that way," I answered quickly.

I turned off the motor but kept the stereo on. "Oh hey," I said, trying to appear nonchalant. "I downloaded some Genesis songs after our 'name that tune' session a while back." I pulled up the iPod console and scanned to get the Genesis listings. I played this off as casually as possible but the truth was that I was dying to see her reaction and find out about this song.

"You did?" she asked, surprised.

"Yes. I was so curious after you said that the song you listened to was by Genesis… and I've been trying to figure out which one it could be."

She smirked. "Did you have any luck with that?"

_Smirking? Maybe I didn't guess after all._ I shook my head. "I don't think so."

"Well, I doubt you'll have it on your playlist…" she began.

I jumped in quickly. "I downloaded most of their cds, though."

"Well, unless you downloaded the live concert versions, you won't have it. It is a live song."

My hand paused over the console. "But then wouldn't the song be on the regular cds?"

"It is," she said gently, "but it doesn't sound the same… Oh!" she said suddenly, remembering. "I have my iPod in my bag with me, so we could plug mine in for you to hear it."

She took hers out and began to attach it.

"Why do you have your iPod? Were you planning to tune me out sometime during the evening?" I teased.

She was sheepish. "I always carry various items in case I'm waiting for any length of time… iPod, puzzle book with pencil, entertainment magazine… You never know; you might go to the restroom and be gone for a while. I like to keep active."

I shook my head in wonder. "Wow, you could be a girl scout."

She looked back at her iPod. "Be prepared is typically my motto too." She found her song and pressed play. Then she began forwarding through the song.

"It isn't the whole song?" I asked.

"This is a medley of their songs. My favorite part is in the middle. I went to this concert… well not this exact one from the recording, but this concert tour."

Ah, we were getting somewhere. The song had some deep meaning, maybe a special date. I quickly fought of the jealousy, anxious to hear more. "Really?" I prompted.

"Genesis does great things with their medleys. When I first saw the concert, I was familiar with only a few of their songs. But there I was sitting in the dark, listening to a bunch of songs I didn't know, and this segment came on with just music … no words. It was an open air concert arena and the stars were out. I remember listening to this part and the music just took me away."

I was momentarily surprised. No words and nothing about a date, but she probably wouldn't volunteer that part. I'd wait.

She reached the part she liked. I listened for a moment and realized I recognized it. "Firth of Fifth?"

She did a double take. "Wow! How many times did you listen to your downloads?"

I covered quickly. "Well not that much, but I have a pretty good memory with music."

She paused the music and looked at me curiously. "Do you play any instruments, Edward?"

"Yes: piano and some guitar."

"Do you play well?"

"Not to be immodest, but yes. I play the piano very well," I admitted.

"Would you play for me sometime or would that be embarrassing?" she asked timidly.

I felt a thrill go through me. So far so good; she wanted to see me play, which meant seeing more of her. "I'd love to play for you."

She sighed. "I wish I could play. There are very specific parts of songs that I'd want to do."

"Like this song?"

Her mouth turned up a bigger smile, but showed no teeth. I was starting to catalog her smiles. So many different types. She didn't show her teeth much. This one seemed to be a genuine smile with some embarrassment behind it. "I generally don't want to learn guitar but this would be the one song I'd want to learn the electric guitar for." She pressed play again.

The song was livelier in the concert version than in the normal version, of that I was certain. Then it changed to the second part of the song and she turned it up. "I hope this doesn't hurt your ears," she said, "but this is my favorite part."

And then she disappeared.

She was in that place, the one I'd seen so many times before... but being this close in this confined space, I took in so much more. Her breathing changed, it was shallower. I could hear her heart beating differently. Her hands moved up and down, reaching for an unseen something with the various drum beats. Her eyes closed here and there throughout the song and her head moved back and forth slightly with the music. Her eyes, when open, were looking elsewhere, as if viewing an invisible movie.

I'd been fascinated with that look for months, watching, hoping to see it. And now, finally, here I was witnessing it up close with the actual music playing. I still had no clue where she was in her mind, but I was mesmerized. She was up to a 4… her aura in such a happy place. I couldn't look away, not even when she turned the volume down at the end for the rest of the medley to continue.

She realized I was staring and looked down, embarrassed. "Sorry," she said, "it just does that to me each time."

I rolled down the window a little to clear my head. I had been drawn in... at that moment, I had wanted nothing else but her: her blood, her body, her soul. I had been leaning in, unthinking, but thankfully I caught myself. I blinked and tried to shake myself out of it. "Now, will you tell me where you just were? What do you imagine in your head?" I begged, folding my arms and leaning as far away as possible against the driver's side door.

"Um, no thanks." she said quickly.

I smiled. "You sure are secretive."

"Not at all," she said. "It is just that no one knows about that song. You're the first to have noticed my reaction; however, it's just my own silly thing and I'm not ready to talk about it with anyone." She looked back at me, mouthing the words to another part of the medley that was playing at the moment… "I will follow you, will you follow me, all these days and nights that we know will be…" _Oh yes, Bella, I would follow you anywhere._

"Okay, then, hopefully here is a simpler question," I said. "Why don't you ever sing aloud? I see you mouthing the words and sometimes singing a little low, but never higher than a whisper, really." I had to ask her this despite the fact that it gave away that I'd been close enough to her to notice she didn't sing loudly. I hoped she missed that detail.

She chuckled. "That one I'll tell you. My mom told me never to sing."

"What?"

"She told me never to sing. I used to listen to my CD player with my headphones on and sing while doing homework. I caught her and her husband, Phil, staring at me horrified one day. When I asked what was up, they told me I should never sing. My mom loves everything I do, so when she tells me that I stink at something, I trust her." Bella's eyes sparkled as she shook her head, thinking about her mom.

I laughed again. My goodness, I was constantly laughing around her. She made me so happy and it was such a wonderful feeling. "Okay, got it. Needs voice lessons." I turned off the stereo. "Are you ready to see the sights?"

"Yes," she said putting her gloves back on. We started on our walk.

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**A/N: Okay, so far, so good for Edward. Thanks for reading so far. Please review.**

_Post A/N: The live version of Firth of Fifth that Bella plays for Edward can be found on YouTube: Genesis - Old Medley Part2 by jhordvar. Her favorite part starts at 1:25. Part3 has the Follow You, Follow Me snippet. In case you were wondering._**  
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	8. Tell Me Something

**Disclaimer: The characters of Twilight are owned by Stephenie Meyer. The content, ideas and intellectual property of this story and the 'American Vampire Series' in its entirety are owned by Just4ALE.**

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Chapter 8: Tell Me Something**

**EPOV**

We walked around the downtown area and I pointed out many of Chicago's famous landmarks. I was familiar with much of the history of these buildings and was able to play tour guide nicely. We stayed away from the lake for most of it as the wind could really pick up there.

During the walk, I watched her carefully. It was so nice to be near her, to actually talk to her, to learn about her honestly, rather than the furtive way I already had. Despite knowing quite a bit about her, I asked about her home, her parents, and her childhood. Interestingly, she volunteered answers with no problem. It confirmed my belief that she was not shy, but reserved. She felt no need to volunteer this information freely, but had no problem revealing it if asked with genuine interest. It was clear that I had genuine interest. I was able to keep asking her questions, while keeping her questions to a minimum. I was quite proud of myself.

I also monitored her reactions to me during the walk. Any feelings toward me were harder to pull out of her. She didn't give much away and she had worn her eyeglasses, which I knew she wore for distance: unfortunately, they masked her beautiful eyes a little. When I would point out some of a building's finer points, I could see her in my peripheral watching me as well as looking at the structure. It was so hard to tell! Was she attracted to me? None of my typical charms seemed to work on her and yet I was always being careful not to charm her too much for fear that I'd chase her away or draw her in closer than I was ready to have her.

After walking for about an hour and a half, we headed back to the car. It was getting colder and an outdoor picnic was out of the question. "Well," I said, "I'm afraid that we'll have to do your picnic inside my car. I'm sorry about that."

"That's no problem," she answered. "I am getting a little cold and hungry now so that works for me, but if you're not going to eat, I kind of feel funny eating alone."

"Please don't be," I said, opening the car door for her and helping her in again. "I'm used to my weird schedule and I'm sorry that it messes up the evening a little." I got the bags from the trunk and brought them around to my side, entering the car.

I turned up the heat for her to make her more comfortable. Okay, the gesture wasn't just for her benefit. I hoped that she'd unzip her coat and loosen the scarf so I could see the purple sweater against her creamy skin. She didn't disappoint me: I could see her veins pulsing only a foot away, the warm air blowing her scent toward me. What I wasn't expecting was to have her remove her glasses and stick one of the temples down the v of her v-neck with the remainder of her eyewear hanging outside her sweater between her breasts. _What the hell? Like I needed to be thinking about her breasts too?_ _Not that the v-neck was that low but still, at the right angle I could glimpse a small swell… Shit!_ Emmett was right; I was a masochist. I tried to focus.

"So," I said, "I wasn't quite sure what you'd want to eat, but I noticed that you like Italian food when I saw you in the lounge. I brought various antipasto salads that you could sample. Don't feel obligated to eat them if you don't like them; I can always take them home."

I pulled out a fork, knife and napkins and handed them to her. She looked in the bag and opened the box which had various small salads in the compartments. She sniffed at them and then looked up at me, her eyes dancing. "Yum!" she said as she began nibbling at the bocconcini and tomato salad.

I opened an Italian soda and handed it to her. "I was told that this complements the antipasto nicely." She took the bottle and put it in her cup holder. "Thank you," she said.

I put on the stereo and her iPod started up again. She looked at it and frowned. "You know, we don't have to listen to Genesis all evening," she said.

"How about your soundtracks?" I suggested.

She smiled and scanned through the playlists to find them. "Okay," she said, pressing play. "It will be like we went to the movies." She continued to pick at the salad, washing it down with the soda. "Wow, this is good," she said.

"Just out of curiosity, why Genesis? It is a rather old band for someone our age." Okay, it was a young band for me, but she didn't have to know that.

"Oh, Charlie is a big fan. He listened to them a lot when I spent summers with him, and I started to like them when I lived with him in high school."

Once again, trapped in the confines of the car, I found myself staring at her. At the same time, when she spoke with me, she made little eye contact. In fact, I noticed that she tended to look over my shoulder when she spoke, as she had in the lounge.

"May I ask you something else?" I asked gently.

"Yes, but since you're asking permission, I'm not sure whether I'll answer."

I chuckled. "I've noticed that when you speak to me, and others for that matter, you tend to look elsewhere rather than making eye contact, particularly when you're thinking of your response. Why?"

She looked down and pursed her lips. Then she breathed in and looked me in the eyes. Her gaze was penetrating and a little unnerving when it was done full on. "I tend to get distracted by faces. I wasn't kidding about the fabulous conversationalist remark… I'm not very good at it. If I'm trying to have a dialogue, I don't want to lose my train of thought or miss out on what the other person is saying, so I look away when I'm thinking."

"My face is distracting?" I needed to know more. Was it attractive to her?

She exhaled loudly. "Of course you'll make me say this, won't you?" she said flatly. "You have very nice eyes and an unusual hairstyle. And your features are very… handsome." She rolled her eyes. "Obviously. Like you don't know that already."

I looked down at my hands so that I wouldn't embarrass her; however, I'm not sure that I kept the small smile off my face. I was thrilled that she found me good-looking. I listened to the music again and then remembered something.

"Hey, remember when we played 'name that tune' in the lounge that day?"

"Yes?"

"What was the original prize you were going to offer for the last one?"

She looked down again and shook her head. "You're just going for it all, aren't you?" I was puzzled. She took a deep breath in and sighed. "My original thought was that if you got that one, I'd kiss you."

"Oh!" I said, sitting up. "Really?" My frozen heart felt like it was beating again.

"Yes, it was the first thing that popped into my head, I think because we were sitting so close to one another, but then I realized that that might not be much of a prize for YOU, and that it would be mighty assuming of me to think that it was. So I nixed it."

I turned back to look at her head on. "It's too bad about that. I think that would have been a great prize." My voice came out a little deeper than intended; it was my luring voice. I had to watch that.

She looked up at me and stared back. Her eyes squinted for a moment as if thinking. She smirked, shook her head slightly and looked back down at her salad. She took another bite.

"What?" I asked. She'd obviously thought something funny to herself and squashed the thought.

"You know, if I didn't know better, I'd say you were part vampire."

My heart refroze.

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**A/N: Oh, no, she did not say that! Thanks for reading so far. Please review.**


	9. Ridiculous

**Disclaimer: The characters of Twilight are owned by Stephenie Meyer. The content, ideas and intellectual property of this story and the 'American Vampire Series' in its entirety are owned by Just4ALE.**

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Chapter 9: Ridiculous**

**BPOV**

I took a sip of my soda. _Ah, Blunt Bella rears her ugly head! Way to ruin a date, stupid!_ I couldn't believe that had just popped out of my mouth, but it was what I was thinking at that moment and, for some reason, I was compelled to say it. Now he'd run screaming from the weirdo.

"Part vampire?" he asked. I heard the blatant disbelief and shock in his tone. Yep, he was thinking it: Must drive her home now. Too late now... might as well forge ahead.

"Sure," I said, casually.

"What makes me at all vampirish to you?" he said, tensely.

"Lots of silly little things," I said. "I'm teasing you, of course."

"Of course," he said carefully. "But what kind of silly little things? Go ahead… you opened the door."

I sighed. "Well, you actually go by your full name. Edward has derivatives, but you don't use them. Very formal, kind of old fashioned."

I could see him ease up. He knew my reasons were going to be silly ones. "Okay. Name."

I continued. "You have a very glamorous, dazzling presence. I'm not sure if I'm explaining that right, but like I just said, you have nice eyes and hair, and your walk is actually kind of graceful, unlike a lot of guys who amble like cavemen."

He perked up. "Dazzling, huh? So you're saying you're attracted to me?" He teased.

I ignored him. "And you do this thing with your voice every once in a while… like you're trying to verbally seduce me. It's as if you're trying to hypnotize me into believing something."

"You didn't answer the question," he pushed.

"Edward," I said flatly, "I wouldn't be here if I wasn't." He was clearly pleased by that admission; his green eyes sparkled.

"So my name and attractiveness make me a vampire."

"Well, that's not all. You're also highly observant, like your senses are stronger than normal. Of course, this may be from watching me over the past few months, but others have seen me and haven't noticed the things that you have."

"What do you mean 'past few months'?" he asked, uncomfortably.

_Ah, caught you_! "Well after you told me that you'd seen me listening to my song, I realized that I'd seen you around in the periphery on occasion. I wasn't conscious of it at the time, but you were definitely there."

I turned to look at him. His eyes were wary. "It is hard to miss that hairstyle. Guys in the program are pretty clean-cut since they're trying to impress corporate America. That," I said, pointing to his beautiful hair, "is not typical. I realized afterward how it was that you picked up on my song. And clearly from what you said tonight… that I don't sing aloud or make eye contact, you've been watching me – a lot."

He looked away uncomfortably. "I'm sorry if that embarrasses you," I said softly. "It was just that I couldn't put any of it together: your warning at the formal and how you knew that something was going to happen? When I thought about it in hindsight, it was clear that you were more observant because you were there all the time."

He looked back at me. His eyes were intense. "So," I said slowly, "highly observant, more so than the average bear."

"And all of that, including my clearly not-so-subtle interest in you, makes me a vampire? You don't really believe in vampires, though, do you?" he asked, disapprovingly.

I looked out the front window. It had gotten really dark and I hadn't noticed. How odd to have this conversation in the dark in a small car. If I did think he was a vampire – truly think it – it seemed like this would not be a safe place for me, but I felt safe here with Edward.

"Well, the appropriate mainstream answer would be no…" I began.

"But that's not your answer, is it?"

"The less or more logical answer, depending on your view, would be to admit that I think it is possible. There are many types of creatures in the world. Just because we'd like to think that they're make-believe doesn't mean that they don't exist."

"But you've seen me in the daytime," he said.

"Yes, that's true," I admitted. I thought about that for a moment. "But if one assumes that vampires have been around for as long as the stories and legends say, then technology today would probably make it more possible for them to really be among us and not hide. At this point, I'd have to believe that the same technology would make it so they could come out during the day… like sunscreen." My mind was really going with this now. "Or, better yet, that they themselves perpetuated the myth of being only night creatures because seeing them out in the day would 'prove' that they weren't vampires."

He smirked and raised an eyebrow. "You've put some thought into this, I see."

"Actually, not really," I answered. "This is just something that is coming out live as I'm thinking about it. I'm not good at thinking on my feet, so you're having to follow this twisted logic in real-time."

He folded his arms and continued to look at me with that smirky face. He didn't look upset, but rather fascinated and amused. "Go on."

I shrugged. "So, going back to your tendencies… you work at night."

"Lots of people work at night, Bella."

"Never seen you eat anything despite the fact that several of the times we've been together occurred around meals."

"That is a function of my schedule, as I said."

"Yes… and that is a good explanation, but you see, all of this added up together can also have a different explanation."

"Like my hanging around non-vampires? A clear cover," he added, slightly mocking me.

"Well, to really be among humans, I think vampires obviously would have to refrain from biting them. In order to do that, they would have to have found alternative sources of food, so they've either tapped into blood banks or they drink the blood of animals - or they have developed an entirely different source altogether."

He shook his head again, chuckling. "You have a great imagination."

"I know," I sighed. "I'm sorry if Blunt Bella disturbs you. You can run screaming from my weirdness now."

He laughed. "I find you charming and amusing and… unique, but not weird."

"So, assuming you're NOT a vampire for a moment…"

"Yes?"

"How did you know about the formal and whatever you stopped from happening?"

He looked out the window, as if gauging my potential reaction to his answer. He took a deep breath and then spoke softly. "I am observant, as you say, but part of it is because I'm highly in tune with people's energy. This will sound odd, although possibly not any odder than what you just accused me of…" I laughed.

"… But I have the ability to read people's 'auras' if you will. I can see their energy levels and it clues me into them a little bit."

That stopped me. "Seriously?" I asked.

He looked back at me. "Yes."

I looked at him to see if he was just teasing me. He looked serious. "Wow. Is that why you hang around with me?"

He cocked his head. "What do you mean?"

"Well, reading people's energy levels must be overwhelming. So much negative or overly needy energy. Aside from the occasional embarrassment, I doubt I give off anything. It must be like a mini vacation sitting with me."

His eyes widened and he threw his head back and laughed.

His eyes were dancing as they looked at me. "To be honest, it is a joy to sit with you. You're a difficult one to read and I must pay more attention to your mannerisms since you don't emote all that much. To some extent you're probably right though: it is pretty peaceful, when you're not insinuating that I'm an otherworldly creature."

"Well, not to belabor the point, but reading energy levels is yet another interesting characteristic among the others I've already catalogued."

"Okay, I give up. You can think what you want… just as long as it doesn't turn you off of me."

I could feel my face get hot, blushing. _Well, he could be direct when he wanted to be._ I decided to turn it back on him. "So are you asking me out on another date?"

He looked eager. "Would you go?"

"Hey, don't answer my question with a question."

He smiled gently. "Yes, I would love to take you out again, if you would care to go with me."

_Whew. I didn't scare him away_. I could feel my heart beating a little faster. "Okay, I think that would be fun."

"Great." he said. "I think I should get you home now. I do have to work tonight."

I looked at the clock on his dashboard and realized it was getting late. Wow, time just flew! I packed up the box of food and finished the soda. I put it all back in the original bag and put the bag behind my seat.

He pulled out and maneuvered quickly through the crowded streets. As he drove, he glanced at me and asked, "Saturday?"

_Well that's soon. I guess tonight was a success._ "Saturday it is."

It was about 9:30 when he dropped me off at my apartment. He helped me out of the car and walked me to the front door. I was nervous, wondering if he was going to kiss me. Luckily, I didn't stare at him with big moony eyes trying to hint for him to do it... which made it less awkward when he didn't.

"Well, Bella, you accuse me of initiating odd conversations…" he teased.

I bit my lip and looked away. "Well, better to let you know what you're up against rather than have you be surprised by the weirdness later on. You've been warned."

I looked back at him and his eyebrows went up as he smiled a beautifully crooked smile. "Thank you for a pleasant evening. I really enjoyed it… and, for the record, once again, I don't find you weird. Different, yes, but not weird. And charming, most definitely."

"Charming, again." I noted. "There's something I think I've never been called before."

"Not to your face," he corrected.

"Nah, I don't think I know anyone who actually uses the word. In fact," I teased, "I'm not sure the word has actually been used in the mainstream since Grace Kelly movies." I smiled, nodding, and tapped him on the chest, mouthing the word: vampire.

"Well, then," he said, bowing his head slightly, "this 'vampire' must go home and change before heading to his vampirish night job."

I laughed, and then my eyes opened. "Yes! Your research on blood disorders! See?"

He chuckled. "Good night, Bella," he said. He leaned in quickly to peck me on the cheek and then started walking backward down the stairs. "I will see you Saturday morning."

"Good night Edward. Thanks for tonight. I had a nice time."

He smiled and turned to go to his car. I went into the building and turned to watch him walk away for a moment. He turned back to look at me as well and smiled widely.

_Holy crow, he's good looking! I don't think I can handle this!_ I shuddered at the realization and then got into the elevator. _Yikes!_ I hoped that next time I'd be able to look at him without staring.

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**A/N: Silly Bella. There's no such thing as a vampire. Right? Thanks for reading so far. Please review.**


	10. The Pond

**Disclaimer: The characters of Twilight are owned by Stephenie Meyer. The content, ideas and intellectual property of this story and the 'American Vampire Series' in its entirety are owned by Just4ALE.**

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Chapter 10: The Pond**

**EPOV**

I picked her up on Saturday morning at 10am, as planned. All I'd told her was to dress warmly and wear comfortable shoes. She came out zipping up her coat and holding her scarf and gloves. She was dressed perfectly: black jeans, a thick off-white half zip sweater and casual hiking snow boots. She stopped before me and pointed at her attire. "I hope this is okay for today."

"That's perfect." _You're perfect._ I helped her into the car and we zipped off.

"So are you going to tell me where we're going?" she asked.

"It is a place I like to go. A favorite park. I hike there." I hunted there as well on occasion, just for some variety, but I didn't bother to mention that.

"We're going hiking? In the snow? Will I need snowshoes?" She seemed excited.

"Your boots are fine. There is a special part of the park that I want to take you to."

She shrugged. "Okee dokee."

I turned on the stereo to a nice soft selection; the sound of acoustic guitars drifted from the speakers.

I asked her more about her childhood, trying to understand all the little things about her that I couldn't read. As per the other night, she answered openly but seemed a little surprised that it mattered to me. The hour drive went quickly.

"I feel like I'm always talking," she said. "You don't give me a chance to ask you anything."

_Yes. By design._

"Oh," I said, "what would you like to know?"

"Um, where did you grow up?"

"All over."

"Jeez, you're an open book, aren't you?" she said, rolling her eyes.

I laughed. No harm in telling her at least one thing. "I'm actually from Chicago."

"Really? You don't have a Chicago accent at all."

"Well, I moved around a lot since and I lost the accent. It's easier to travel that way. Sometimes people will incorrectly associate an entire lifestyle or attitude based on where you're from." Okay, I was playing up to her sentiments; I knew that her Ivy League education embarrassed her for this very reason.

"Hmmm… or where you went to school." She grimaced, agreeing.

"Yes, you understand."

A Spanish-themed tune came on.

"Ottmar Liebert?" she asked.

I was surprised. "You know him?"

"Yes. I love his music."

_Oh, I love this woman._

It was quiet again. She looked at me and quickly looked away. I could hear her heart beating a little faster. What was she thinking?

I turned into to the dirt road. "We're here," I said softly. She sat up straighter and looked around.

I parked on the side of the road and got out. She quickly got out too. "So this is it?" she looked around.

"No, it's up a bit further."

She pulled her scarf tighter around her neck and put her gloves on. I got a backpack out of the trunk and put it on my back. She noticed the size of the pack and her eyes widened. "How far of a hike are we taking?"

I reached for her hand and laughed. "It's not far… don't worry." She put her hand in mine and we walked carefully along the trail.

We walked about 15 minutes into the park. I didn't need to look around as I knew exactly where I was, so I kept her talking and silently admired her. I could smell the wildlife all around and was thankful I'd fed so well the night before. Her scent compared to theirs was overwhelming.

Then we hit the opening to the pond.

"Here we are." I stopped. She stepped into the clearing beside me to look. Her sudden intake of breath was almost a gasp.

"Oh my God! Is the pond frozen?" Her eyes were excited. I could hear her heart pounding.

"Yes. I thought you might like to try ice skating on it."

She froze suddenly. "Don't tell me you were a hockey player."

What an odd question. I wonder if being a hockey player was a good or bad thing. I couldn't tell by her reaction. "Well, no, I can't say that I've ever played hockey. Why do you ask?"

She breathed deeply again. She looked away and muttered embarrassingly, "I used to have a thing for hockey players. Not that I acted on it. I just knew a few and they were awesome on the ice… and hot."

_Crap! I should have lied._ Well, no. Honesty, as much as I could be honest, was better.

"Damn," I said, snapping my gloved fingers. "Too bad. No, I'm not a hockey player, but I can skate."

I put the backpack on the ground and knelt before it. Opening it up, I pulled a few skates from the bag. "I guessed you were a size 8. Is that right?"

"Guessed? Seriously man, you're too observant." She smirked and mouthed: vampire.

_On the nose. _I'm glad she thought it was a joke. Had my heart been beating I would have died from a massive coronary when she came out with all that vampire stuff the other night. She was spot on: one thing after the other… boom, boom, boom! I was shocked and relieved that I'd been able to play it off as easily as I had.

We sat on a log near the pond and put on our skates quickly. She stood and stepped tentatively on to the ice. Her face lit up. I pulled out a portable iPod player and set it up.

I watched her as she started to skate forward and quickly turned backward, criss-crossing her steps.

"You're good!" I exclaimed. "I wasn't sure you'd like this."

"I LOVE ice skating. It reminds me of Dartmouth. I took lessons there as part of the 'Bella gains some balance' kick. In the winter, whenever I could, I skated."

_Excellent. So far, so good._

I turned on the iPod and the acoustic music continued softly. I joined her on the ice to 'warm' up. It was difficult to skate slowly, like a human, but I was practiced at it.

After about ten minutes, I moved back to the player. _I hope she likes this._

For a moment, I reconsidered what I was about to do. It was wrong of me and dangerous to tempt myself like this. I felt strong and the bond I felt toward her felt stronger. I felt sure I'd be able to resist if her energy bubbled in the way I'd seen it when I watched her walk to school, but now I'd just learned she loved skating also. The two together might cause her to burst. Should I or shouldn't I?

Curiosity got the best of me, and I would die if I hurt her. I vowed it would be fine.

I changed the playlist on the iPod, forwarding to Genesis and then picking her live version of Firth of Fifth. "So I was thinking that your song would be interesting to skate to." I kept the remote in my pocket.

She stopped suddenly on the ice, her eyes wide. "What?"

I stepped onto the ice and pressed play on the remote. "Come skate with me, Bella."

I danced lightly around the ice. Her mouth fell open. "I can't skate like that. You're a professional?"

I snorted. "Nah, I just have good balance… and I have skated quite a bit."

I reached out and grabbed her hand. "I think this part is very light and happy." I pulled her closer to me. "Skate with me, Bella. I won't let you fall."

She was amazed as I spun her around. Every once in a while, I'd let her go and do a very small jump or turn. Then the tune shifted to the stronger, second half… her favorite part.

She watched me in quiet awe as I twisted and turned. I reached for her hand again, spinning her and holding one arm out with the other around her waist from behind.

"Step left, right." I directed as she followed. "Cross-over pattern."

I let her go and I did some more turns. "This second part almost sounds like two people longing for each other, no?"

She just froze again, her eyes watching me. The look was now more than amazement. Her eyes looked stunned and they glistened.

The song was finishing. I stepped into a spread eagle and completed a wide arc. Then I came up behind her again, hand on her waist and the other gently lifting under her right thigh, spinning.

I set her down, giving her a little spin with her right arm above her. I skated around her and turned the sound down a little.

When I turned back to look at her, I saw the disturbed look on her face. _Uh, oh. What happened?_ "Bella, are you okay?"

She bent over, hands on her knees. "No."

I stopped suddenly. "Are you sick?"

"I don't know," she said. "I need to sit." She plopped herself down on the ice.

I didn't know what to do. _What do humans need to ease whatever she has? Aspirin? Pepto Bismol? Water?_ Water sounded like a good start.

"Can I get you something to drink? I have some water in the pack." I skated off to where my bag sat on the shore, got a bottle of water out and started toward her.

She was completely still, looking at the ice. She looked up at me suddenly, bewildered. "What are you?"

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**A/N: Ruh roh, Edward might be in trouble. Thanks for reading so far. Please review.**


	11. Revelation and Declaration

**Disclaimer: The characters of Twilight are owned by Stephenie Meyer. The content, ideas and intellectual property of this story and the 'American Vampire Series' in its entirety are owned by Just4ALE.**

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Chapter 11: Revelation and Declaration**

**BPOV**

Edward froze. "Excuse me?"

How did he do this? How had he just replicated the vision I held in my head every time I listened to my song?

"How did you know?" I asked.

"I'm... I'm confused…" he stammered.

"How did you know about all of this? THIS place. This is where I go to when I hear the song."

He frowned. "Here? What do you mean?"

Ever since I took my dance and skating lessons at Dartmouth, music affected me differently. My clumsiness somewhat behind me, I was no longer afraid of movement, and sometimes a song would instantly conjure up visual images in my brain. I'd imagine the dance, the movement and my heart would soar. Could he read my mind?

"In my head I choreograph songs: some on a stage, some on ice." I felt numb; I was still stunned. "For this one, I imagined two figure skaters on a pond of perfect ice. Your moves were… so many were exactly as I imagined. Am I dreaming?"

He was silent for a moment. "No, you're not dreaming." he whispered.

I couldn't take my eyes off of him. "Who or what are you then? It's like you were created just for me. Soundtracks, movies, the formal, skating, this place! You can't be real."

He knelt on the ice about five feet away from me. His face contorted, as if in pain. "No, I'm real. Unfortunately, I'm more than real." He took a deep breath and spoke. "I'm everything you thought I was, Bella. Everything you imagined."

I realized what he was saying. Quietly, I asked, "Half vampire?"

"Full vampire," he corrected slowly. "There's no such thing a half vampire."

My body remained frozen, sitting on the ice. My eyes scanned around. I realized that we were very much alone. "Did you bring me here to kill me? Here to this remote place where no one would know?"

Edward's face fell. He shook his head and held his hands up in front of him, the way a hostage negotiator would approach a dangerous person to calm them down. "No," he said softly.

I looked around again and then back at him. "So it wasn't your original intent, but is that what you plan to do now? Now that I know?"

He shook his head again slowly. His eyes were gentle. "Oh, no."

"Then why did you bring me here?"

He looked around. "I brought you here because this is one of my favorite places around the area. I come here often to hike. This is an isolated place, free of the bad energy I find everywhere else. I love it here. I love to skate. I love the clean air and the quiet, and having you here allows me to experience the quiet with you. I thought it would be a nice day for us both."

_HUH?_

"What are you thinking?" he whispered.

_I have no idea. _"I need to stand. My butt is cold." I stood up quickly and skated to the shore. I sat on the log to take off my skates and put on my boots. I walked over to a tree and leaned against it. I couldn't look at him.

In my peripheral vision, I saw Edward stand and go to sit on the log, his head down. He was silent.

My head was spinning. When I called him a vampire the other day, I had been kidding. Hadn't I?

Where had it all come from? I flat out accused him of being a vampire in ordinary conversation. Many of the stereotypical characteristics were there, but they also all had reasonable alternative explanations, and vampires didn't really exist.

Ah, but I had admitted to him and myself that I thought it was possible. So it WAS actually possible. Here I was, ice skating with one. And what the hell did he just say? He basically brought me here to ice skate and spend the day away from all the bad energy? He must be joking!

I turned to him, arms crossed. Suddenly I was braver, but I had no idea why. "Why am I here?"

He looked up at me, his face confused. "I thought I just explained…"

"No, Edward, why am I here with you? Why are you hanging around me? I mean, is it NORMAL for a vampire to go on DATES with a human?"

"No," he said quietly, "it is not normal."

"Then what? Is this some seduction before the kill?"

He spoke slowly. "I don't want to scare you."

"You mean there could be something more scary than finding out I'm alone in the middle of the woods with a vampire who has been oddly hanging around me a lot and who claims he doesn't want to kill me?"

He was silent.

"So IS it some odd seduction thing you all do?" I accused.

His eyes flashed with anger and he then spoke quickly. "There are three separate issues in that question: 1. Am I trying to seduce you? 2. Am I trying to seduce you so I can kill you? And then 3. the 'you all' part – do all vampires do this?"

He continued. "Let's handle it in reverse order. I can't speak for all vampires and the warped games they may play. However, I can say this: vampires don't have to seduce their prey for more than a few moments to get them alone for a kill. We're quite capable of easily luring humans wherever and whenever we want, IF we want. If I say come with me, you would usually follow. Usually..."

His voice was bitter. "But even if that were so, and I wanted to take you, I would have done so after that first Karate class. Or as I watched you walking to and from school every day. Or after the formal: it would have been so easy to grab you from the cab between the museum and your home. We're…" he said, stressing the 'we' part, "very fast."

I was still feeling strong and brave. "I know you are," I said arrogantly, "or at least, the legends make you out to seem that way."

"No," he said flatly, "we're actually faster than that." He evaporated and appeared right beside me.

I could feel the shock on my face as I held my breath. I felt my hands gripping the tree that I was leaning against.

He leaned in to whisper in my ear. "And, no. No seduction before the kill." He evaporated back a few feet, back toward the ice. "I don't play with my food."

I continued to look at him, unable to tear my eyes away. In his anger and bitterness, he was glorious. He looked like a pissed off angel.

"As for the first part of the question: am I trying to seduce you?" His face became more gentle. "Seduce," he said softly, "implies that I have only one end-goal – to get you into bed." He shook his head. "Seduce is the wrong word. What I've been trying to do is, well, woo you, I think."

Blunt, incredulous Bella made an appearance all of a sudden. "Woo me?" I sputtered. "Why?"

He was taken aback by my tone. He looked away, and the words poured out of him, so fast that I almost couldn't keep up.

"I didn't want to. I didn't intend to. The attraction was initially to your scent; it was so powerful. But your energy level was so low, it stopped me momentarily. And then my sister Alice, who is a true psychic, called to tell me she saw something important with you and begged me not to harm you."

"I started to follow you around, anxious to see what Alice foresaw. At first, I believed that her vision had to do with me possibly falling off the 'vegetarian' wagon and feeding on and killing a live human, but as I watched you, I became drawn to you. I wanted to talk to you, which I did, very carefully."

"Then I started noticing the male attention all directed at you. It was overwhelming and suddenly I realized that I was jealous. I'd never felt jealous in my life! I did interfere with that wretched Mike and his plans to take advantage of you – I won't apologize for that," he said bitterly.

"Then, when I found you in the lounge after the formal and slipped with the date reference, you became so annoyed. I didn't want to follow you out, but I felt bad for hurting you. When you suggested friendship between us, I was horrified. My immediate thought was NO! Friends didn't feel right. I realized I wanted the right to interfere."

He finally looked back at me. I could feel the amazement stunning my body. I wondered if it was reflected on my face. He continued.

"Why are you here? Because I'm weak and you indulge me. I can't stay away from you. I don't want to stay away from you. You're fascinating... incredible! I've never met anyone, any being like you. You're smart and funny and kind and gentle and direct and sweet." I rolled my eyes on 'sweet.'

"I have been watching you for months, Bella. I SEE you. You're more self-aware than most people… but for this: you're beautiful inside and out, and you don't realize it or accept it. Your beauty is natural. Your eyes sparkle when you're truly excited. Your hair shines with red fire in the sun. Your lips…"

All during this speech, Edward had paced back and forth, slowly making his way toward me. Now he was a few feet away. His eyes were soft and he was staring at my lips. I could feel my heart beating faster. _Why is he staring at my lips?_ He spoke again.

"That day in the lounge when we played with your iPod… your eyes and physical proximity overwhelmed me. I only realized later that I fell in love with you that day."

I looked down at my feet; I could feel my face flushing. I could see him in my peripheral vision, moving back to the ice and skating a little. "I'm sorry if I said too much. As I said, I didn't want to scare you."

I looked back at him, watching him skate. I had let go of the tree and clasped my hands up by my waist. I tried to process everything that just happened. _Did this stunning vampire just declare himself to me?_

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**A/N: Okay, maybe there is such thing as a vampire after all. (FYI: There are no Volturi to worry about in my version - so Edward can reveal himself.) Thanks for reading so far. Feedback will be appreciated.**


	12. Kiss Me

**Disclaimer: The characters of Twilight are owned by Stephenie Meyer. The content, ideas and intellectual property of this story and the 'American Vampire Series' in its entirety are owned by Just4ALE.**

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Chapter 12: Kiss Me**

**EPOV**

I stepped back off of the ice and walked slowly toward her. "I wish could read you. Your energy is so contained. Have I completely scared you?"

Her response was instant. "No."

I was at her side in a fraction of a second. She looked down at her feet. I was surprised to see her lips turn upward into a small smile. She shook her head.

"What?" I asked.

"I probably should be scared by that, but it is just too amazing. To be honest, I've always wondered what that would really look like," she admitted.

My eyes might have popped out of my head. "You're joking."

She continued to look down, not meeting my eyes. "Well, to be clear, I'd hoped that if I ever did see that, it wouldn't be one of the last things I saw before the vampire pounced." I could feel my jaw drop. "I fall into the 'be careful what you wish for' camp. I think I read The Monkey's Paw too early."

She constantly astounded me. Here we were discussing the monster that I was, and she was casually referencing literature. Her lips still had the small smile upon them. Her eyes flashed to mine. My eyes looked into hers and then made their way down to look at her lips. I couldn't look away from them; they were all that I could think about. I whispered, "I so much want to kiss you right now."

She cocked her head slightly, clearly surprised at that notion. "Can you?"

"Is that an invitation?" _PLEASE let it be an invitation..._

"Um, well, no I was kind of asking whether it is even possible. Aren't vampire passions supposed to be more forceful and overwhelming? Aren't you really strong? Can you kiss a human and stay in control? Can you do that and not hurt them and/or bite them?"

"Yes…" I began slowly, "we are physically strong and our passions are even stronger, but I'd say those of us who live out in the public are more controlled. When we need to be we're kind of like Vulcans. Unless the blood is already flowing, we're generally good at keeping ourselves in check."

Her face went blank.

"What?"

"You're like Vulcans?" she sputtered.

"Yes, oh, sorry. A Star Trek reference. Vulcans are…"

She cut me off. "I know who they are. You watch Star Trek?"

"I used to. It taught me a lot about human nature."

She looked up at the sky, took a deep breath and looked like she was fighting off another smile. She shook her head.

"What are you thinking?" I asked.

At last, she looked at me again. Her eyes were now on my lips. I could hear her heart beating faster.

"Do you still want to kiss me?" she whispered.

I couldn't speak at that moment. I'm pretty sure that I nodded.

She reached out to grab the collar of my coat with her left hand and wrapped the fingers of her right in my hair at the nape of my neck pulling me toward her. "Then, what are you waiting for?" she asked, breathlessly.

Nothing, it seemed.

We collapsed to the snow, in our embrace. Her kiss was passionate and rough, and yet gentle and soft at the same time. As a gentleman, I won't go into details, but my mind was quickly elsewhere, wanting to take this further. _If she glowed like this with just a kiss... _and as a gentleman vampire, clearly bewitched by this young lady, I was unable to. She had the power now.

Eventually, our lips parted. She stared up at me, her energy level still escalated but lowering.

"So what now?" I whispered.

She weighed the question and her response. "It feels like I could lay here with you for hours. But somehow, I don't think that is a good idea."

I didn't want to ask but I couldn't stop myself. "Because…?"

"A." _She has categorized this already into As and Bs. Yes logical_. "I'm not sure if it would be hard for you. Is it enough or am I just courting trouble?"

I waited. She was concerned for me and for herself.

"And B: I'm not sure it is enough for me. I can feel myself going there before I probably should. And given your lecture on how I should wait until I'm ready and with someone I truly care about…"

I didn't hide my disappointment and she must have noticed the change in my face. "Unless you were just feeding me a line so that you could get to me first... A notch in the… coffin?" She frowned.

I cut off that train of thought. "No line. I do really believe that your first time should be with someone you care about who cares about you in the same way. Although…"

"What?"

"I must admit that in hindsight I probably was hoping that it would be me," I confessed unabashedly. "Not to 'deflower a virgin', but to see you experience it in the right way... to be there for you and with you."

The blush rose quickly to her cheeks. She kept her eyes down, despite the fact that I was holding her, our faces just inches apart. "I don't know you well enough to make that decision yet, Edward. Let's take it a step at a time."

I breathed a sigh of relief; she wasn't saying goodbye. I nodded. "I'll take you home."

~#~

The ride home was quiet. I held her hand as we listened to the acoustic playlist again. Finally, I pulled up to her building.

She spoke quietly. "I would like to invite you up. But I don't think I should. I'm afraid."

I felt my body tense. Her words were heartbreaking.

"I'm too attracted to you right now. Let me settle down. I might not be able to stop myself."

I relaxed immediately. I felt hopeful. "Yes, slow is better for you." _And for me._ "But…"

"But what?"

"You must have questions for me, no? I've been waiting for the deluge to start and yet you've said nothing."

"Don't worry, I will. They're forming already. But I process internally… and I definitely need to process this. You'll be bombarded next time."

Good. She wanted a next time. Internally, I was gleeful. I looked at her, waiting, hoping she'd meet me part way. Her choice, her invitation. It had to be so.

She looked at me and then began to lean in. I was gentle, soft; she was not. As before, the kiss became urgent. She broke away, biting her lip, and closing her eyes. I kissed her softly on her neck and inhaled. She trembled, both excited and undoubtedly nervous. She opened her eyes and I gazed into them.

"Just admiring the bouquet," I assured her. "Not planning to partake. I told you: no intent to harm."

Her heart was beating rapidly and her breaths were shorter. Her energy level was heightened once again. "No intent to harm," she repeated. "How about intent to drive me crazy?" she muttered more to herself. I stiffened as my mouth started tingling. _Whoa Edward!_ She closed her eyes and shook her head, as if clearing it. She swallowed and then spoke. "Sorry. I'd better go. Now."

"Hmmm. Good idea." I said, more huskily than intended. I cleared my throat and got out of the car to help her out. "Good night, Bella."

"Good night." She turned to walk away and then stopped herself. "Wait. When will I see you again?"

"Whenever you want to see me."

"Don't you have work too, or are you really not a PhD student?"

I smiled. "I do and I am… but my days are a bit longer than yours. I have ample time to do what I need."

"Okay. I have to study tomorrow and Monday for a test on Tuesday. After Karate on Tuesday night?"

"I'll meet you at the hall."

She started to walk away again, and once again stopped. She turned around, eyes dancing, a thought just occurring to her. "Ooh, I'll bet if I was a vampire, I could kick the shit out of those black belts. Todd wouldn't know what hit him!" She was almost giggling.

I shook my head, chuckling. _Truly unique indeed._ She shrugged at me and then stepped in to kiss me quickly on the lips. "Good night!" She whirled and ran into her building.

I drove off quickly, wondering how I'd last until Tuesday. Her scent was all over me and the car, like a musky perfume. Maybe I'd just sit in the car for three days, fantasizing about her. That was a very pleasant thought.

But what came next? She wanted to learn more before going further and for her safety, it had to be that way. Her choice: she had the control, but I had to be careful. She couldn't be seen with me too often without drawing notice from other vampires. Until she was officially bonded with me, others could try to claim her or steal her; they might toy with her or even kill her.

That was how I would spend the next 72 hours. Worrying about how to keep her safe… and figuring out ways that I might get her to fall in love with me.

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**A/N: Yee-hah! Finally, a kiss. Thanks for reading so far. Please review.**


	13. Invitation

**Disclaimer: The characters of Twilight are owned by Stephenie Meyer. The content, ideas and intellectual property of this story and the 'American Vampire Series' in its entirety are owned by Just4ALE.**

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Chapter 13: Invitation**

**BPOV**

I'm not really sure what I felt when I got into the building. I guess I was numb… numbness would make you not know if you were numb, right? I flew into my apartment and locked the door. Quickly, after pulling down all the shades, I grabbed some sweats and clean underwear from the drawer, ran to the bathroom and stripped down fast. A hot shower would help. I was a little cold from being outside and probably a lot cold from the shock.

But was I really that shocked? Hadn't I guessed? Now, what did I do with this information? I couldn't exactly tell anyone. I was having problems telling myself. How do you start that conversation? _So I was outside of Karate class and this gorgeous vampire approached me…_

Riiiight. They'd lock me up immediately.

Man, I already knew I was different. But did I have to be so different that I couldn't even find someone normal to date? The first guy who actually pays attention to my actions, my thoughts, my likes and dislikes, declares he has some kind of feelings for me... and he's technically a myth.

_Ha! I knew it. Didn't everyone say the perfect man was a myth? Well now I had proof!_ I started laughing hysterically, and the next thing I knew, I was sitting on the tub floor, my knees hugged to my chest, rocking myself. _I'm losing it. I'm losing it._ I let the hot water soak me until I felt the shivers go away. Taking a deep breath, I finally got up and finished showering. As I toweled off, I felt like I was regaining my cool. I dressed and went to the living room.

As I started to sit, I realized that my answering machine was beeping, indicating that I had a message. I pressed play.

"_Hey Bella, it's Jacob. Just calling to see how you are since we haven't spoken for a while. Give me a call when you get a chance. I really miss you, kid."_

Aw crap, I recognized that tone in his voice. "FUCK!" Jacob Black, one of the only people in the world who could piss me off to no end and actually get me to say the fuck-word out loud. Shithead hasn't called for months and NOW, when another guy is seriously interested, he comes around.

Jacob and I had both been analysts at BCG in Boston. He was a year behind me and in addition to being smart, he was also tall, dark and handsome. We 'hung out' casually, which meant that we messed around a little here or there, but he never wanted to get serious with me. He had this uncanny knack, however, for being able to sense when someone else might be interested and turning up his charm… and like the fool that I was, I dropped everything to be with Jake. Thank God I hadn't slept with him. If ever someone was guilty of marking his territory, it was Jacob Black.

What the hell? Did the guy have some weird wolf sense that spanned several states? Well screw him! I wasn't going to fall for it, particularly when I had a beautiful… vampire…declaring his feelings for me. _Asshole!_ I pressed delete.

I went to the kitchen and got a glass of milk. After a few gulps, I felt the milk soothing me. Enough of Jacob Freakin' Black… I needed to think this other situation through.

So: First, I had a test in two days. _Wait, how the hell did that become issue #1???_ Logic prevailed: _don't spend too much time on this right now Bella… focus so that you can study for that test. You're here for an MBA, not an MRS degree._

Okay then. Second, I was being followed by a vampire. An attractive vampire who declared himself to me. I think. So what did that mean? I'd have to come back to 2.

Third, I had another date in a few days. I needed to make sure I got a lot of questions answered on that one.

Okay, back to issue 2. I'd have to break this into parts. 2a. How did I feel about him? I was definitely attracted, there was no denying that. Was it just lust? Noooo… it didn't feel like that. He was an amazing… creature, for lack of a better noun. It was like he was custom built for me. I shouldn't overlook that.

_So everyone has baggage, right? _My romantic side argued._ His just happens to be that he probably has fangs and wants to bite you at every moment. _

_That's not a bag, Bella, _said the sensible side,_ that's a bunch o' steamer trunks. _

But, he seemed kind. Actually, gentle. _Could be an act_, Sensible argued. _But he could have killed you today and didn't_, Romantic responded.

I needed Sensible and Romantic to duke it out in private… they were screwing up my process.

So 2a. How did I feel about him? I LIKED him. A lot. Okay.

2b. Where could this go? Could a vampire stay with a human without turning or killing them? Would I also have to be one in order to make this work? Was I safe now that I'd drawn his attention? Would he love me if he was still young and pretty and I was an old lady? Did he have family or friends who would accept me without harming me? Ah, most of those questions belonged in issue 3.

2c. What was my other choice? _Walk away, now. Back away from the vampire, Bella. Leave skid marks on your way out. _

I thought of that option. Of telling him when I next saw him that this wouldn't work. Would he be angry? Hurt? Would he harm me?

The bigger question was: _could_ I say that? I thought of the few hours we'd just spent together and our never-ending kiss. I'd never experienced such passion. He probably put a spell on me… but what a spell! I'd take more of those kisses in a second. _Okay, so maybe lust did play a _wee_ part in this._

No, I realized, I didn't want to say goodbye. I wasn't ready. I barely knew him and I still wanted to. If this were a normal guy with other baggage, I'd probably still hang on. _So follow your instincts, Bella._

My instincts said to move forward. Find out more.

_Good. Decision made for tonight._ I needed to study. I turned on Tears for Fears and started to read.

~#~

On Tuesday night as I left Karate, my classmate Jim stopped me.

"Hey Bella, are you doing something now?" he asked eagerly. "A bunch of us are going to make dinner at Renshi Clark's place."

We were pushing through the heavy doors from the Great Hall at that moment. I looked around and saw Edward leaning against the wall across from the entrance, looking like a print ad model. I gave a little wave, and then turned to Jim. "Thanks that sounds like fun, but I have plans right now. If you guys do it again, let me know ahead of time if you can."

Jim saw Edward walking toward me. I heard disappointment in his tone. "Oh, okay… we'll keep you posted."

"Cool, have a good night."

"Yeah, you too." He turned to meet up with Todd and Jamie. I heard him mutter, "She has plans already."

Edward was suddenly directly in front of me, looking down at me with a smirk on his face. "So, where to Ms. Swan?" he asked, an amused tone in his voice for some reason.

I decided to go for it. "Well, if you didn't make any formal plans, I was thinking that I'd like to invite you back to my apartment. Would that be okay?"

His smirk disappeared. "Really?"

"Well, I'm not inviting you up to do the deed, Edward, but I do have a lot of questions for you and I'm also hungry and a little sweaty from class. Rather than go out somewhere and be the only one eating, I could wash up quickly and eat something while we chat privately, if you wish."

"I do wish," he said eagerly. "Shall we go? My car is just down the block."

"Parking by my apartment might be a little bit of a challenge. Just a warning."

"Parking is never my problem. One of the benefits of my kind: built-in radar."

"Ah, something they don't put in the vampire recruitment handbook," I said, trying to keep it light. I started to put on my coat and he quickly reached out to assist.

"No," he chuckled grimly, "they don't tell you much."

I looked back up at his beautiful face. "What other benefits did they leave out?"

He reached for my scarf and wrapped it gently around my neck, softly moving my hair out from under it. "Well, our influence over humans is actually greater than you realize. I told you that usually we can speak a few words and a person will follow. It is more than that. It is actually like the Jedi mind trick." He wiggled his fingers at me, smiling wickedly. "'_These aren't the droids you're looking for._' Helps with speeding tickets, if we were ever to get one."

"Get out! You have the Force?!" Oops! I said that a little loud. I covered my mouth.

He chuckled, keeping his voice low. "We have the ability to manipulate weak minds, and the more energy an individual gives off, the easier it is. The Force is about energy after all…" He pushed open the door to the street and held it for me.

"Have you done that to me?" I asked, walking through.

He followed me out and reached for my hand. "It doesn't work on you."

I stopped in my tracks. "What? Why not?"

He cocked his head. "Oh, Bella, there is sooo much about you that is unique. With regard to this particular issue, I'll just say this: your energy is so contained it is almost like you're not there. I can't manipulate you… although I must admit that I tried the first time we met." He pulled me forward to continue walking.

Hmm. So I wasn't weak minded. No revelation there. Energy all contained. Also knew that. Couldn't be manipulated by vampires... now THAT was news. _Score one for the human!_

"Can you actually levitate things or grab them from afar?"

He hesitated for a moment. He let out a deep breath and said, "Vampires, not as a rule. Me, yes."

I gasped. "Too cool!" He turned his head to look at me, a surprised look on his face. I shrugged. "Ice skating and the Force. Vampirism is looking better and better all the time."

He uttered a low growl. "Bella…"

"I was kidding."

His tone was disapproving. "I'm not sure you're ever kidding. When you joke, there is usually an undercurrent of truth running through there."

"Okay, I'll give you that, but I haven't read the manual. I don't know all about it. That is what this evening is for."

"I'm glad to hear it," he smiled grimly.

"You don't look or sound glad."

"Well, I'm not trying to convert you, but I have to admit that I'd be hurt if you decided that you wouldn't see me again," he said softly.

"Yes, I'd be disappointed too," I whispered, turning to face him.

We were at his car now. He reached out to caress my cheek. "You would?" He sounded surprised and hopeful as he held the car door open for me.

"Yes, I like you Edward. I'm trying to understand who you are."

"I'm genuinely glad to hear that." He looked relieved and then he leaned in quickly to peck my cheek before closing the passenger side door. I touched my cheek where his cool lips had touched my warm skin and I flushed.

"So, I have a bunch of dumb questions for you, tonight," I said when he was in the car.

"There are no dumb questions, Bella. You need to know the truth."

"Okay, then here is the first: these aren't in any particular order by the way – but I was curious about your diet."

"Yes?" he answered cautiously, as he pulled out.

"Is all blood the same or do vampires prefer certain blood types?"

His brow furrowed and then he spoke. "We're all a bit different. All human blood is the same in terms of nourishment. It sustains us most completely, although we can get by on animal blood. But to address what I think you're asking, think of it like wine preferences. Some people like Bordeaux, others Burgundy. I'd view our preferences in a similar way."

"And how about you? Are you a merlot, cab or zin fan?"

"My preference is O," he said softly. "O negative, to be exact."

I breathed in sharply and held it. Then I shook my head. "That's nice," I said in my best sweet/sarcastic voice. He chuckled a little. "You are aware that is my blood type, no? I mean, you must be able to smell it."

"Yes, I'm well aware of that. I've been aware since that first day."

I had been so involved in this conversation that I hadn't noticed he'd parked the car, and right outside my building. Radar indeed. I turned to look at him and suddenly blurted out, "Wait, you're not part bat, right?"

"That's sonar." He rolled his eyes. They were smiling.

"Right. Whew!" I continued to look at his beautiful smiling green eyes and realized I could get lost in them. I tried to refocus. I needed to ask this; he had to have the choice.

"So, would you still like to come up?"

He grinned widely. "If you're inviting, I'm there."

He got out of the car and I watched him walk around the car to help me out. I took a deep breath to steady myself.

_Here goes everything, Bella._

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**A/N: 'You must keep reading...' (trying to use my Jedi powers on you...) Ah, you're not weak minded. :) So thanks for reading so far. Please review.**


	14. Getting to Know You

**Disclaimer: The characters of Twilight are owned by Stephenie Meyer. The content, ideas and intellectual property of this story and the 'American Vampire Series' in its entirety are owned by Just4ALE.**

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Chapter 14: Getting to Know You**

**EPOV**

Her apartment was so Bella. It was a large studio, simply furnished with only the necessities... a desk, a bureau with a TV and DVD player sitting on top of it, a round papasan chair and a sofa. I assumed the sofa rolled out to a bed.

She turned on the lights and offered to take my jacket. This reverse chivalry gave me pause but I gave it to her and she hung both coats on some door hangers in the hallway toward the bathroom.

"Okay," she said, "Would you mind if I just rinsed off quickly? It will be three minutes."

"Three? So precise." I teased.

She bit her lower lip a little and nodded. "More or less. Not a full shower."

"I think I can amuse myself."

"Thanks." She grabbed some clothes from her closet and took them with her toward the bathroom. "If you'd like to put on some music, go ahead… but you know my selection isn't the best - or you can watch TV if you want."

"I'll be fine. Thanks."

The bathroom door closed and the shower came on. I heard her clothes drop on the floor and her feet step lightly in the shower. I heard the drops of water on her skin. _Okay, no need to imagine more, Edward. _I went into her kitchen and admired her refrigerator. Actually, what was on her refrigerator.

She had an amusing collection of magnets and cartoons. A few were quite funny and I laughed out loud. She had a subtle sense of humor, and it was so like her not to advertise that humor to anyone but herself... and whomever she chose to invite to her home.

I left the kitchen and wandered into the living area. I reviewed her family photos around the apartment. She was an interesting blend of her mother and father.

Exactly three minutes and four seconds after she started, the shower turned off. I heard the towel rubbing against her creamy soft skin as she stepped out. _Think new thoughts, Edward._

She stepped out a minute later, entering the room wearing casual pants and a white three-quarter sleeve top. I could feel the heat radiating from her from six feet away… hot shower. "Thanks for that," she said. She headed toward the kitchen but stopped when she noticed me looking at her family pictures. Gesturing at them, I told her, "You look a lot like your mom. You have the same features."

She cocked her head and smiled. "Wow. You may be the only person who's ever said that to me. When I was younger, they used to think she was my stepmother when she picked me up from school."

"Most humans only look at the superficial. Of course they'd think you looked like your dad… it's obvious. But you have your mom's eye and nose shape… and the same smile."

She stood quietly, looking at me with smiling eyes. "So, I'm going to just grab something quickly here. I'd offer you something, but I don't have anything that you'd want, I think." She stepped into her kitchen and I followed.

I leaned against her kitchen door. "Well, I wouldn't say that…"

She turned back to look at me. "Hey, be nice! I'm not offering that, Mr. Cullen." She turned back to the counter, and looked back over her shoulder. "Or that either!"

I laughed. "I'm just teasing. Don't be worried."

"I'm not." She poured a bowl of cereal and added milk.

"That's your dinner?"

She shrugged. "I'm not starving. Plus, milk calms me down."

That struck me as odd. "Are you nervous? You seem like you've been calm since I picked you up tonight. Didn't Karate help?"

"No, class definitely helped." She took a spoonful of cereal and then licked a little milk off of her upper lip. _Those lips... Gah!_ I was having a hard time paying attention. "Do you know I'm not even a white belt yet?"

She gave off a special energy speaking about Karate. Of course, that is why I liked to get her talking about it: it fascinated me. I almost forgot to answer her. "What do you mean you're not a white belt? Don't you start out there? You were wearing one."

"You don't officially get a belt until the worldwide head teacher trains with you. Then he determines your level. Some of the guys at school say I'm so junior, I'm actually suspenders!" she said laughing, walking into the living room.

I followed her and made my way to the window to look outside. Damn 'guys at school' all vying for her attention. Okay, not all, but too many for my taste. I comforted myself with the fact that she was here with me.

"So," she said, taking another spoonful. I turned back to look at her. "Have you seen Shawshank since I mentioned it?"

"No, I'm sorry I haven't," I answered. I'd been following her around, that's what I'd been doing.

"Would you like to see it? I have it."

I was confused. "Don't you have questions for me?"

"Yes, but I don't want you to feel like you're in the hot seat all night."

"You invited me here to watch Shawshank?" I asked flatly.

"No, silly. I told you why. A." The list came out again. Of course. "I needed to shower."

"B. I needed something to eat."

"C. I thought this would be a private place to ask the questions."

She hadn't said AND between B and C, which signaled that a D was coming.

"And D…" she paused.

"D?" I repeated, waiting.

She took a deep breath. "D. I know you said you weren't interested in harming me, and hopefully the fact that I'm here with you shows that I'm willing to give you the benefit of the doubt." Her logical tone softened slightly. "But just in case, I thought that inviting you in might be safer for me."

I stiffened and stared at her. Did she know?

She was looking down at the cereal bowl in her hands as she said this. Then, with her face still down, she shifted her eyes upward toward me to meet my gaze. "Am I correct? You can't hurt me when I invite you in?"

"How did you know that?" I whispered.

"I don't know ANYTHING for sure. But something was mentioned in The Lost Boys, like 'Don't invite a vampire into your house. It renders them powerless.' I took a chance."

_Damn Hollywood movies. Stupid vampire writers, giving away our secrets, even when they lied about them. _The Lost Boys twisted the whole invitation rule around to indicate that the humans were left powerless. The funny thing was that Bella actually interpreted it differently… and correctly. I wondered if she also knew that she had to extend this invitation each time in order to maintain the power blockage.

"Clever girl." I don't think I hid the admiration in my tone. "It is true. I can't hurt you." I said quietly. "But as I said, it was not my intent."

"So, as long as I invite you in, you can't touch me…"

I shook my head. "Not unless you ask me to."

She thought quickly. "What if we went to your home?"

"Not powerless. But…" I paused.

"But what?" she whispered.

"But the way I feel about you stops me from harming you."

She looked at me steadily with her big chocolate eyes, her hands still holding her bowl.

Suddenly I felt uncomfortable under her stare. I was a vampire, for goodness sake. She was a human. How was she constantly unnerving me?

I moved over to the CD player. "How about we don't watch a movie and just listen to some music? What's in your CD player?"

"Unpopular stuff," she said sheepishly. She sat down on the couch. "Tears for Fears. More 'old' music." I smiled at her. She felt the need to explain. "I saw an MTV 80's special one day and they were featured. I fell in love with their music. I've been studying for two days to it. Please, sit." She gestured to the couch. I eagerly joined her, sitting on the opposite end. She took her last bite of cereal. She stared at me as she chewed and I met her gaze. Her lips curved into a smile and finally she spoke.

"How old are you, Edward?"

"I was born in 1901. I was converted in 1918. So, technically, I'm over 100, but physically…"

"You're a minor!" she exclaimed. Her face was momentarily shocked and then instantly amused. She bit her bottom lip, giggling and then turning pink. She turned her head from my gaze, clearly thinking something that embarrassed her. "Oh my…" _Naughty thoughts, Bella? Great, join the club._

Still blushing, she turned back to me. "Um, how did it happen? Who converted you?"

"A 250 year-old vampire named Carlisle. He had been alone for a long time and he sought companionship. My parents were dead from the Spanish Flu and I was dying of it. He was the doctor tending to us. Knowing I had no one left, he changed me with the hopes that I'd be his 'son', although he's physically not much older than I am. I do think of him as my father, though, and as my friend," I said softly. I couldn't hide the admiration from my voice.

"So Carlisle is still in your life?" she asked gently.

"Yes. He and his wife Esme are like my parents. Then there are the others… Alice, Jasper, Emmett and Rosalie… my siblings, if you will. We've lived together throughout the years. I just happen to be on my own right now, but after a few years, I plan to go back."

Bella's expression was gentle. I could tell she was surprised to find out I had family that I cared about.

"How does it happen? Does one bite do it?"

"There are actually two ways it can happen." Her brow furrowed; this was going to be new information to her. "When we… feed… for nourishment, our mouths produce venom that incapacitates our victims. The venom is painful and if left to spread, the victim becomes like us in a matter of days. However, our bloodlust can be so uncontrollable that it is unlikely they'll survive to be converted."

"But it is possible to bite a human and not produce venom… taking a little taste, but not really with the intent to kill. However, if this goes too far, if the vampire drains the human too much, he or she can give the human his or her blood to drink. In either case, the conversion will be painful, although I hear this second way is infinitely less so."

"Carlisle used venom on you?" she whispered.

"It was the only way that he knew how at the time. He didn't have vampire friends to teach him."

It was quiet for a minute as she took this all in. "Since you're out and about all the time, I assume the sun doesn't harm you?"

"It drains us a bit, but we don't burst into flames. So, you were correct about the myth we've perpetuated about ourselves. We do wear a lotion that helps us. We blend in a little better, and it also helps protect us. However, the longer we're in the bright sun, the more 'rest' we need."

"You don't sleep in coffins, do you?"

I laughed. Typical myths. "I have a bed, a nice one actually." That came out too sultry – I could hear her pulse quicken. I wondered if her thoughts matched mine. "But it isn't really for sleep, as our minds never stop. It is one endless existence."

"Garlic, crosses, holy water, fangs… none of that is real, is it?"

"Garlic, crosses, holy water - no. Fangs, sometimes." She looked confused. "When we're feeding for nourishment, our teeth are normal. When we're biting for that little… taste: fangs. Fangs are part of a vampire's erogenous zones." Her mouth opened slightly and then she blinked.

She paused for a moment and then continued. "Stakes in the heart?"

"We're quite impenetrable. Only a vampire has the strength to actually stake another vampire. A stake will incapacitate us temporarily. But once the stake is removed, we're back to normal."

Her eyes widened. "Is there nothing that kills a vampire?"

I inhaled and held it momentarily. Exhaling, I spoke quietly. "Cutting off the head and burning the body. That's it."

"Are there a lot of your kind?"

"More than you'd hope for, but less than can truly be dangerous to the human race. If there were more of us, you'd be extinct and then eventually so would we."

"You'd better get hopping on an alternative," she said matter-of-factly.

"We're working on it."

She was quiet again for a moment, but I could almost feel her brain processing our conversation. At last she spoke. "If a vampire lives a civilized life, as you call it, would he/she ever be tempted to turn on a human? Are you truly able to exercise that kind of control all the time?"

"It is a bit complicated. We crave blood. That is our sustenance, but this is heightened by the energy that one gives off. All things being equal, a human with high energy will give off a different scent that will draw us to them over the one who has low energy. Fear, lust... those senses increase an individual's energy level and can cause our predatory instincts to come out."

"I said we were like Vulcans, but as I guess you know, it isn't that Vulcans don't have emotions, it is just they have superior control over them. Those of us who live among you on a day to day basis must have this kind of control. Since we so rarely mingle with humans beyond our cursory roles – professors, doctors, lawyers – fear and lust aren't relevant. We somewhat radiate a presence that alerts humans, subconsciously, to keep it on a superficial level with us. If a human ignores the signals, he – or she – could be in danger."

She was looking across the room while I explained all of this, considering it.

I took a deep breath. "That first day, when you walked into the hall, I noticed you right away. Your scent was magnified by your excitement."

She frowned, still looking across the room. "But that makes no sense. Everyone gives off a pile more energy than I do. Shouldn't you have been more attracted to anyone else over me?"

"As I said, it's complicated. I could tell instantly that the excitement level was not normal for you, which only heightened the attraction. You were radiating it and it drew me in, but no sooner had I moved closer to you than you imploded. It was like a black hole: nothing. It was very wrong of me, but I tried to talk to you to either draw out your fear or get that excitement back."

She looked down at her hands on her lap, shaking her head. "Which had the opposite effect: you were just a stranger so you got nothing from me."

"It probably saved your life that day," I confessed.

She turned back to look at me. I could hear her heart beating faster and I could sense her adrenaline kicking in. She was afraid.

I stared into her eyes. They were getting glassy, looking like they were about to cry. I wanted to reach out and touch her face. Instead, I looked down at my hands that were in my lap. Was she going to toss me out now? I braced myself for the devastating blow that was sure to come.

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**A/N: Oh, so much information for Bella to take in. Thanks for reading so far. Please review.**


	15. No Holding Back

**Disclaimer: The characters of Twilight are owned by Stephenie Meyer. The content, ideas and intellectual property of this story and the 'American Vampire Series' in its entirety are owned by Just4ALE.**

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Chapter 15: No Holding Back**

**BPOV**

I was suddenly terrified. He really had thought about killing me that first night, and no amount of Karate would have helped me.

My mind raced. Thank GOD I was the crazy introvert that I was. It saved me. Then I began to talk myself down from the ledge.

This was months ago. He hadn't killed me because I was a black hole of emotion. He had watched me – probably stalked, I'd have to ask about that – and somewhere along the line, he said he'd fallen in love with me.

Was this love powerful enough to prevent him from going against his nature? What if I fell in love with him? Was I already on my way there?

I thought about all that he'd told me. I thought about all the questions I still had, and I thought about the stunning being sitting near me, revealing his secrets openly.

Yes, the more I knew about him, the more I realized I was falling for him. It couldn't be easy to sit here and admit he had wanted to harm me. Did my invitation force it out of him; was he truly powerless?

Other thoughts began to swirl around in my head. What if we… became intimate? I didn't know much about it but I was thinking sex and orgasms probably unleashed a lot of energy: would he be able to contain himself? If he was bound to the rule that it had to be at my invitation, then I was safe here. He couldn't bite me. But what had he said? Unless I asked. What was that about? Would I ask? Did it heighten the experience for either of the parties? Well for the vampire, probably, but for the human? Oooh, it was too soon for those thoughts.

As my mind flitted from thought to thought, he remained silent sitting frozen beside me, looking down at his hands. His face was stone but I detected a level of pain underneath. Was he afraid that this was it? That I would let him go now?

I was calm as I finally spoke. "No," I said to him, and to me, I think. "I don't want you to go."

He let loose a sigh of relief as his face softened and he looked back into my eyes.

"I shouldn't make you doubt yourself, but I can't help but ask. Why not?"

Where to start?

"I believe you when you say you don't want to harm me, and at this moment you couldn't even if you did." I took another deep breath. "I'm also unclear as to my feelings for you."

His face fell.

"No," I said, "don't misunderstand me. I'm not sure of the depth yet. It has been growing stronger daily, and tonight by the minute, and I need to sort it out. I have a lot more questions for you."

"I haven't scared you yet?"

"You have, but I still feel the need to understand."

"Please, ask me anything," he whispered.

I nodded. "You watched me for a few weeks after that first meeting, correct?"

"For about a month and a half, yes, I followed you."

"Were you looking for an opportunity to kill me?"

He grimaced and looked away. "At first, I might have been, but as I followed, it became less about hunting and more about watching. I couldn't stop myself. I was growing more attracted to you on a different level than I realized at the time."

"My invitation: is it a safe haven for me at all times? Does this only apply to this apartment…or is it broader than that?"

He looked back at me and cocked his head. "What do you mean 'broader'?"

"Well, on Saturday, after you mentioned kissing me, I asked if you could. You asked if that was an invitation. You didn't actually initiate the kiss: I did. So did that also protect me?"

He smiled. "The invitation into the home is the only true blockage against any vampire, but in the park, because of the way I felt – no, feel – about you, it also worked in your favor. I won't do anything to you physically that you don't want me to..."

I considered that. "But this invitation here tonight doesn't also force the truth out of you, does it? Are you powerless to answer whatever question I ask?"

He laughed. "No, it isn't like Wonder Woman's truth lasso. I'm telling you everything because I want to."

I suddenly realized that it was fairly quiet in the apartment. The CD had stopped, so I got up to change it. I changed the source to play from my iPod, letting the thing play on random. Returning to the couch, I shifted positions, sitting with my left arm over the couch cushions, my left hand holding up my head and my legs curled underneath me.

"Here's another dumb question, but one I'm now really curious about."

"There are no dumb questions, I told you," he said softly.

"Okay," I amended, "here's a gross question." His eyes looked puzzled and bemused at the same time. "So, if blood is what drives you, doesn't the scent of a woman with her period really drive you crazy? I mean, talk about energy… we can be moody bitches during that time of the month."

I clearly caught him by surprise as he barked out a laugh. "A menstruating woman is NOT appealing at all. Her hormonal changes modify her scent, and her blood doesn't taste as good."

"So you'll be avoiding me during those times, huh?"

"No, I haven't avoided you yet and you've already gone through two cycles when I was near."

I let out a small gasp and flushed instantly. "That's embarrassing," I mumbled. I didn't talk about that with anyone but my mom to complain when I had cramps. _Yeesh, no secrets._

He reached out as if to touch the hand that was on my knee and then stopped. I looked up at him and nodded. He gently rubbed my hand with his fingers. I got a chill from his touch; he was cold but his touch was soft and excited me.

I cleared my head. "Okay, so does that go for pregnant women too? Their hormones really change them."

"Yes, pregnant women are also unappealing. You'll find very few stories of pregnant women being attacked. I actually think both of these are evolutional."

I thought about that for a moment. "Ah, your natural distaste for them is because you don't want to cut off your food supply."

He stopped rubbing my hand and quietly said, "I think that is why, yes."

Once he saw that I was not bothered by this, he continued his soft touch, moving from my hand up my arm to my elbow and back down. I tried to concentrate.

"Um, so does that mean that post-menopausal women would be appealing? Hormonal shifts gone, not a danger to the food chain."

He laughed again, eyes amused. "You ask the most direct questions. No, no more than anyone else, unless she were an early post-menopausal virgin… which is a rarity, but for convents."

That focused me. "What do you mean? Virginal blood is good?"

He stopped rubbing again. His face got serious. "The older a woman is before she has sex, the better she smells… up to a point. An 80-yr old virgin: NOT appealing. That would be like a wine that is past its prime, but a woman in her late 20s or early 30s? Unbelievable, and so hard to find, outside of the Bible belt, if you can find women who aren't married by the time they're 21."

"So, was that my appeal to you? You must have known that as well on that first day."

He reached out to touch my cheek gently. "It didn't hurt," he said honestly.

I thought about this and decided to just jump in, no toe in the water. _Go for it, Bella._

"So if we became, intimate…"

He froze.

I put my hands up, smiling. "Not an invitation right now… just request for information."

"Okay…" he said slowly.

I continued. "If we became intimate, wouldn't part of my appeal disappear? I wouldn't smell the same."

He shook his head. "Bella, I don't want to imagine this."

"Why not? Haven't you already?"

"I try not to. I do try to practice a little chivalry."

"I need to know. Please?"

He steeled himself and sighed. "I've become 'bonded' to you. I don't know if there is a human equivalent to this. If you were to feel the same as I do, if you gave yourself over to me as your first, you'd be bonded to me. Your scent would always stay the same to me."

"What about orgasms?"

That stopped him again. His eyes got big.

"Well, if it is a combination of the scent of one's blood and their energy, wouldn't that be the most dangerous time for me? If you brought me to orgasm? I'm imagining that I'd probably be like The Fifth Element: light beaming out of my stomach straight into the sky at that moment, considering how much I don't actually ever radiate anything normally."

He stood up so quickly I didn't even see the action. "Okay, we need to stop this conversation."

I stood up with him. "But you can't harm me here. We're just talking."

"No, you're making me think about it. I'm trying to be a gentleman, Bella."

I stepped closer to him. "Am I hurting you? Does the invitation cause you pain because it is blocking you from your instincts?"

He took another step back and turned away from me. "No, but I don't want you to confuse my feelings of love for lust. If it happens, it should happen naturally."

"What's natural about this? Anything? I just want to know if making love would be dangerous for me. Would you be tempted to bite me?"

He turned and looked at me steadily. "I wouldn't bite you unless you asked me to do so. I WON'T now: you have the power."

He was about eight feet away from me as he said this. I turned and changed the iPod to my 'Mellow Tunes' playlist, then I walked to the windows, looking out for a moment. What a beautiful night. My clock said it was 10:15. Had we only been here two and a half hours? I reached to pull down the shades but suddenly they pulled down on their own. I gasped, turning back to look at him, realizing he'd done that from across the room. I leaned against the wall between the two windows, staring at him. My God, he was beautiful, inside and out.

A shiver ran through me and I could hear my heart pounding. I could only gaze at him; I could see the longing in his eyes. The current between us was high. I nodded slightly.

He ghosted to me and his lips were on mine before I even saw him appear.

_Now that's how you kiss someone._

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**A/N: Thanks for reading so far. Please review.**


	16. An Old 'Friend'

**Disclaimer: The characters of Twilight are owned by Stephenie Meyer. The content, ideas and intellectual property of this story and the 'American Vampire Series' in its entirety are owned by Just4ALE.**

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Chapter 16: An Old 'Friend'**

**EPOV**

I left her apartment just after 2am. It was quiet as I exited the building as one might expect. It was a school night, after all.

I drove home quickly, still lost in the evening's events. I revealed quite a bit during our exchange, and she was falling in love with me. I felt it and so did she.

The evening stayed innocent. Our kiss once again left us crumbling to the floor where she sat locked in my embrace. Eventually, our lips parted and we looked into each other's eyes. I helped her up. Wordlessly, she opened her drawer, pulled out a t-shirt and shorts and walked to the bathroom. I went to the couch and waited for her return. She came back silently and I stretched my arm out to her. She lay down next to me where I held her for the next few hours.

We spoke quietly on occasion throughout the evening. She wanted me physically and she felt close to me emotionally, but mentally, she wasn't there yet. My sweet, logical girl. I'd waited this long; I could wait as long as she needed me to.

I caressed her body tenderly as she lay in my arms, a blanket over both of us. I could tell whenever she had a new question forming.

"You've never 'bonded' with anyone before?" she asked.

"No. If I had, I'd be with them and not here with you."

"But what about physical relationships? You haven't been celibate all these years, right?"

I chuckled. "No."

She was wary of my answer. "Um, that sounded like a 'Hell no' to me, Mr. Cullen."

I laughed louder. "I have to watch my responses… my guard is all the way down now and you're seeing right through me. Yes, you are correct. I've had a number of lovers throughout the years."

"So it was just sex?"

"Unless you've formed the bond, it will only be 'just sex'. I was a bad boy in my youth, Bella. I might as well be up-front with you about that."

"What do you mean?

"In my early vampire years, I was immature and good-looking and pissed off at God. When I was alive, I'd been a good Christian boy and until that point had been decent and respectful with women. But after - immediately after? I was quite the Casanova."

"And the women were okay with that?"

"Most of our kind don't 'hang together' in daily social scenes the way humans do. You meet during your travels, you hook up for a few nights or weeks, and then you move on. Attachments happen, but real love is rare. The love that exists between Carlisle and Esme, Jasper and Alice, Emmett and Rosalie… well, it is just another thing that makes my family so special."

"But why?"

"Most of my kind is ruled by their need for blood and passion. Many don't believe that that one being can fulfill their needs forever, so they don't allow anyone to even come close. It is an instant wall that develops. The physical craving can be satisfied quite easily without the need for emotional attachments."

"Sounds like one big party," she muttered. Her tone softened as she asked timidly, "And you've never… been physical with a human before?"

"No. This is new to me. I guess you could say it is virgin territory all around," I said wickedly, pulling her closer to me.

"So do you know if birth control is necessary?"

"I would take whatever precautions you'd take with any other man. My heart is not beating. The rest of me is alive."

She was quiet again, thinking. I decided to distract her with a kiss. It worked.

As the evening wore on, her eyes started drooping. I decided that it was my cue to leave. She looked sad but then nodded. "I do have class tomorrow and I'm meeting my friends for breakfast at 7:30."

She walked me to the door, her hand in mine. I didn't want to leave. I stopped at the door and turned to kiss her. She pulled me quickly toward her; her kiss was urgent and I was soon crushing her to the wall. She tried to push herself even closer into me. I could feel the tingling starting in my mouth and the stirrings starting in my pants.

I paused, catching my breath, and whispered in her ear, "Didn't you want me to go?"

"I don't want you to… but I think you should…"

I pressed my forehead to hers and rubbed her shoulders. Nodding, I asked, "When will I see you again?"

"Don't you always see me?" she teased, "Even though I don't see you?"

My lips moved from her forehead to her ear and then to her neck. I moved her t-shirt a little so I could kiss her bare shoulder.

"When?" I pressed.

"Um, tomorrow?" she asked breathlessly. Then she paused. "No, DAMN, I have meetings tomorrow night until 7 and then I have to work on a paper. Thursday after Karate class again?"

My fingers traced her collarbone and I moved my mouth back toward hers. "So long? That's two nights away…" I moved my hands to hold each of hers, and then crushing my lips to hers, I pinned her against the wall once again with her hands behind her waist. I moved my mouth down her face back past her throat and down toward her chest.

She laughed. That wasn't the reaction I was hoping for. "Listen pal, you need to stop trying to seduce me tonight."

"Trying? It isn't working?" I murmured, my tongue tracing a small path across her shoulder back up toward her ear.

She moaned. "Ungh… Um, it is and you know it. You're not playing fair so I'm going to have to play my invitation card." She pushed me away slightly. Her face was flushed from excitement. "Let's pick this up again on Thursday. I have no class or meetings on Friday and Monday is the professors' meeting."

I sighed, but I hadn't expected to get anywhere. I was just having fun. She was easy to tease, once I knew what to do.

"Okay, Thursday it is."

I opened the door and turned to look at her one more time. Her eyes were thoughtful, face smiling.

"What? I asked.

"I'd like you to take me to your house on Thursday. I want to see where you live."

"As you wish. Sleep well, my Bella."

She leaned over to give me a quick peck. "Good night."

~#~

I arrived at my home and parked in the driveway. I sensed his thoughts before I heard him.

"Hello, James," I said, without turning around.

"Edward. I haven't seen you in a while. What have you been doing?"

He bounded up the steps and stood next to me. He inhaled deeply, closing his eyes. _What's this? A human?_ Opening them quickly, he looked surprised. "This is unlike you… I thought you were all about abstaining these days."

"It isn't what you think."

_Sure seems that way. Was she tasty?_

"Enough, James, I didn't bite anyone." I wasn't ready for this conversation. She wasn't fully bonded to me so there was still some danger for her. I opened the door and gestured for him to come in.

James was once my closest 'friend', using the word loosely, during those younger, wilder days that I'd mentioned to Bella. He was a sometime-vegetarian, but his purpose for doing so was less about sparing humans and more about blending in. If someone appealed to him, he gave in to the impulse. End of story. While I knew that our old camaraderie afforded me a little more respect out of him, I hoped that he realized that our past 'adventures' were exactly that: in the past.

"Can I offer you a drink, James?"

_Is she here?_

"Stop! You know what I mean. A, B or O?"

He smirked at me. "You know my preference." I did... thank goodness it was A.

I poured two glasses and handed him his. We went to the living room.

He sniffed the blood. "Ah, a 43-year old Iowa farmer."

I shook my head. He actually could tell approximate age and region; the farmer part was just a guess. He was the Robert Parker of blood bank product.

"So," he began, "are you going to explain the smell?"

"Look, I study and work around humans."

_That is not a mingling smell._

"I'll talk about it when I'm ready."

"Which is not now? Interesting. You never used to hold anything back from me."

I tried shifting gears. "I haven't seen you in a very long time. What have you been up to?"

"Over the past year? Traveling with some others. We hit Burning Man in the summer…" When he said "hit Burning Man", he meant it. This was a perfect hunting spot for vampires. People disappeared in the dust storms all the time and the counter culture was almost built for vampires. "Spent some time in San Francisco for a while. Was in Hong Kong… ah the night life. Trying to decide on New Orleans or Rio for Mardi Gras next week. Care to join me?"

"I can't, James. I am actually working on this PhD you know."

"You're educated enough, my friend. Why bother with another degree?"

"I've become boring in my old age, I guess. I'm not the same vampire you once knew. Speaking of the old days, did you meet up with Irina and Tanya in San Francisco? I heard they were there for a change from Denali."

"Yes. Those two can still party. They've found a whole new vibe… bisexual clubs in the Mission. We had a great time." His mind lingered on this new vibe… _good Lord, were they back into their orgies again?_

I knew these two women; they had a long list of conquests, men and women. A long time ago, I was one of them… or perhaps it would be better to qualify that... we were each other's conquests. A threesome with them was an incredibly wild ride, but I was young and new to the life then. I liked to believe I'd changed. No, I was certain that I had changed.

He held his glass with both hands, looking at it intently. "So, I spoke with Emmett on my way back. He's the one who told me you were in Chicago."

Damn, he knew more than he let on. "Yes?" I sighed resignedly.

_How much time have you been spending with the girl?_

"She's 25. Hardly a girl."

_You're over 100. She's definitely in the trophy wife category for you._

"Physically, I'm younger than she."

"Stop avoiding the point. Why a human?"

"Do you think I wanted this? It just happened before I knew it."

"Tell me about her."

"Don't you already know from Emmett?"

"Just that Alice warned you not to kill her several months ago. He said Alice foresaw something about this woman... and that you've been a bit out of touch since."

"I thought at the time it meant I was going to fall off the wagon," I muttered.

He sat up straight, surprised. "Wait, are you falling for her?"

I was cautious. "I don't know," I lied.

_Does she know what you are?_

"She figured it out."

"Is she all infatuated and fawning over you to get you to turn her?"

"She's not a vamp tramp, James. You'd be surprised if you saw her."

"Maybe I'll have to stay around to meet her." His head started conjuring images of our old days together when he and I often shared our conquests.

I hissed. "James, be careful here."

He sat back and smiled. "Why Edward, I do believe you're in love."

_You have NO idea_. I made a face and waved him off, trying to indicate how ridiculous that was.

"No worries mate. You know I'll leave her be..." _For now._ I tensed, hearing that last thought. "But there will be a lot of travelers coming through in the next week on their way down south. If you're bonding, it needs to happen soon, otherwise it could be open season on her if your scent is all over her."

I stood up suddenly. "Enough about the girl." _I don't need more worries right now._ "How long will you be town?"

"Not sure. Depends on the Mardi Gras thing, but I won't stay with you." He stood. "I'll go to the family home in Evanston tonight. I'll likely stop by Northwestern to check out the new talent. I just wanted to see it for myself."

"What?"

"That our boy is crazy. Looks like it's true." He shook his head. _Falling for a human. Christ, Edward, did I teach you nothing?_

_

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**A/N: Bella and Edward. And James. Oh my. Thanks for reading so far. Please review.**


	17. The Talk

**Disclaimer: The characters of Twilight are owned by Stephenie Meyer. The content, ideas and intellectual property of this story and the 'American Vampire Series' in its entirety are owned by Just4ALE.**

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Chapter 17: The Talk**

**EPOV**

I was unusually restless after James left. Rather than grade papers or work on my research notes, I sat down at my piano to try to relax. Usually, I found that music soothed me… brought comfort and peace to my tired brain.

As I sat down on the bench, I thought of Bella and how she made me feel every time she was near… her hand in mine, her head on my shoulder, her breath in my face. The whisper of a song began to float around in my head and I let my fingers follow along on the instrument. The notes came together on the keys, a small melody wistful and full of longing, mirroring my emotions exactly.

After a while, I switched to play something more soothing… the song I'd written for Esme and Carlisle. This was a song that always brought great joy to Esme whenever I played it for her and that usually made me happy as well, but tonight, it only made me melancholy. My time with James served as a reminder that there were other more honorable beings out there in my life. I missed my family… I missed hearing their thoughts.

While I often considered the ability to hear everyone all the time a burden, I never put the thoughts of my parents and brothers and sisters in that category. Whenever we were together, I tried to give them mental privacy as best as I could, but their minds brought me comfort. Jasper – always struggling with living up to our standards and so in tune with the emotions all around him. Alice – my partner in crime, watching out for us by seeing our futures, constantly speaking to me silently in her head. Emmett – the joker of the family, his thoughts were so basic yet kind and fun-loving. Rosalie –whose unyielding love for Emmett and fierce protectiveness of our family made her vanity tolerable. Esme – her sweet and loving nature, the complete embodiment of motherhood. And Carlisle – whom I respected above all others. He'd helped me through so many struggles with his endless patience, his superior control and unwavering dedication to protecting life, in whatever form it came.

I realized at that moment I needed to speak with Carlisle. I needed help. I wanted to be with Bella… and I was afraid. Could I do this without harming her? Only Carlisle could provide the guidance I needed. I was sure of it. Oh, how I wished I was with him now. I found it much more comforting when I could see his face and hear his thoughts.

At that moment, I heard chimes ringing in my study. My computer. I was receiving video-conference notification on what we jokingly called the 'Vampire Batphone,' the internet camera connection we had set up between the computer in Carlisle's office and mine. I went to my study and sat down in front of my computer. Well, if I couldn't hear his mind, at least I'd see his face. I opened the camera link.

Esme's lovely face appeared. "Hi son."

I was surprised but instantly comforted. "Esme. So nice to see you."

She smiled. "Alice told us that you wanted to speak with Carlisle. He's here and I'll leave you to speak privately, but I just wanted to see your face. I've missed you, Edward. We all have."

"I've missed you too. More than you know," I said softly.

"Alice has told us about Bella, Edward." Esme's face was glowing. "You deserve happiness, my son. You've been alone for too long and Bella sounds like a wonderful young woman, from what Alice has shared."

"She is, Esme, she is."

"It will work out. I'm sure of it." She smiled her gentle smile and then raised her hand to her lips. She kissed her fingers, then turned her hand to the camera.

"I love you too, Mom. Thanks."

Esme stepped away from the camera and Carlisle's face appeared.

"Carlisle. So nice to see you… at least electronically. I've missed you all terribly, although I've been remiss at keeping in touch.

"We know you've been otherwise occupied," he said quietly. "Alice says you're worried."

"She must have told you why."

"She's been trying to exercise some restraint. You'd be proud of her. She's interfering less these days," he said.

"Well, as you know, I've met someone. Bella. Her name suits her Carlisle. She is exactly that, bella… beautiful, inside and out. She's…" I struggled to find the words to describe her further at that moment.

Carlisle face was gentle. "I can see the change in your face, Edward. She must be special to have had such an impact… How does she feel about you?"

"She cares for me greatly. I believe that she is falling in love with me too. She's very reserved and almost as controlled as you are. It is quite unnerving at times, but based on the time we've spent together, and what she's revealed, she's allowing herself to open up to me."

Carlisle was quiet for a moment. "Are you afraid that you'll be tempted to kill her?"

"Yes, but not in the way you might think." I took a deep breath; this was hard to talk about. I looked away from the camera. "Carlisle, it has been many years since I've been with anyone physically and, as you know, I've never been with a human. The venom is non-existent around her; I don't want to kill her, despite how sweet she smells, but I'm afraid that might be more a function of her control, rather than mine. Her energy level is typically so low…" I shook my head and then looked back at him. He was looking at me steadily.

"She asked me about orgasms… and I've been worried since."

Carlisle's eyes opened a little wider and a small smile appeared on his lips. "Well, this is moving quickly."

"I want to be with her and I think that fairly soon, she'll want to be with me."

He nodded. "And you're afraid you'll bite her."

"I felt the stirrings, Carlisle. Can I do it? Can I be physical with her and not bite her?"

"Son, you know that biting her during sex won't kill her…"

"But what if I lose control? She's so contained… if and when she lets go, the combination of it all… her virginity – which I'll be taking, her blood type… and a sudden elevation of her energy! How will I handle it?" I closed my eyes.

"But Edward, I don't get the sense that this would be just sex for you. You love her. I can see that."

I nodded, looking back at him. "I'm bonded to her, Carlisle. The love that I feel for her is as strong as the love I sense between you and Esme. It is irreversible at this point."

He took a deep breath and then exhaled. "You can always turn her if you go too far…"

I shook my head. "I don't want to make that decision for her."

He smiled. "Well then, your conscience will give you strength. It is your best ally. Knowing that you don't want to hurt her will only help you. You have more control than anyone I know."

I put my head in my hands. "I don't know…"

"I do," he said confidently. "Edward, you know enough about human anatomy and physiology to know how to not break her physically, and you're experienced enough with women to know how to please her."

I met his gaze through my monitor, though it was no less potent. "My suggestion, son, is to take it slow with her. Work up to it. Start by pleasing her and build up your tolerance for her escalated energy. When the time is right, you'll know."

Carlisle's wisdom never ceased to amaze me. His advice was sound and I felt better already. "Thanks, Carlisle."

He smiled back at me. "You're welcome, son. Call me anytime."

I heard a knock off-camera. Carlisle looked to his left. Alice's little voice sounded in the background. "Are you done? May I talk to him?"

"Edward, Alice is here. Come visit when you can, okay?"

"Bye Carlisle."

Alice's pixie grin came into view. "Hi, Edward! I just wanted to see your face too. You look less worried. Your little father-son talk must have helped."

I grinned back at my favorite sister. "Hey, Alice. It is nice so see you too. Yes, Carlisle helped. Who would have thought I'd be having 'the talk' at age 103?"

Alice's light laugh cheered me. "Edward, I also wanted to tell you this… don't be worried. It will all work out okay for you both. You'll keep her safe."

"Thanks. That's comforting to hear."

"Edward, one last thing." She leaned in a little closer to the camera. "Be on your guard with James. Watch him."

I nodded. "I know, Alice, I know."

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**A/N: That Carlisle is a smart guy. Thanks for reading so far. Please review.**


	18. Edward's Home

**Disclaimer: The characters of Twilight are owned by Stephenie Meyer. The content, ideas and intellectual property of this story and the 'American Vampire Series' in its entirety are owned by Just4ALE.**

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Chapter 18: Edward's Home**

**BPOV**

The next two days were a blur. Somehow, I managed to focus and act like a dedicated B'school student; however, when I wasn't paying attention, Edward's face, breath, and kisses would pop into my head. I shook it off as well as I could, knowing I'd see him Thursday.

Thursday night, I exited Karate class looking for him. When he was nowhere to be found, I worried that maybe he forgot. Before Jim could come up and corner me again, I decided to go change.

I went down to the restroom with my bag and changed out of my gi. The hallway was empty as I headed back toward the stairs to the great hall. I was startled when a hand popped out of nowhere and pulled me into the shadows. My heart stopped momentarily and then I smelled his heavenly breath in my face right before I felt his lips on mine.

I took a breath. "You nearly gave me a heart attack. Are you trying to see how fear works on me rather than lust?"

He chuckled and pulled away. I could see his eyes gleaming in the dimly lit hallway. "I'm sorry. I ran a little late and I could tell you went down this way. I thought I'd surprise you."

"That you did."

Edward's arms wrapped around my waist. Nodding toward the stairs, he said, "Jim might be waiting for you."

"Aw, crap."

"I'd be happy to scare him away from you if you'd like. He's getting on my nerves."

"Be nice. Just come with me." I grabbed his hand as we walked up the stairs.

Jim was sitting on a bench pretending to do some work. I saw him take in the two of us holding hands and turn back to his work. Edward held open the door for me as I went through. I glanced back to see him looking at Jim, a meaningful dark glare on his face. "Hey!" I hissed at him, shaking his arm. He laughed and let the door slam behind him.

Once again, his car was just outside. As he helped me in, I reminded him, "You're going to show me your house tonight, right?"

"Of course. That is why I was late. I was getting things ready for your visit." He shut the door and made his way around to his side.

"What were you doing? Hiding the coffin and dusting the cobwebs?"

"No silly," he said, gently touching my cheek with his fingertips. "I went shopping so that I had items that would benefit my human friend… food, bathroom items."

"That's thoughtful of you."

"You can thank Alice for reminding me that I needed to upgrade for your visit. Being with a human, particularly one I care about, is new to me Bella."

His home was in a very nice of Hyde Park that I hadn't visited yet. It was actually one of the famous mansions on an apparently affluent block.

I gasped as he pulled into the driveway. "Not to be rude, but do you own this?"

"Yes, it is one of several properties we own. This is the site of my original family home. I was born here. The structure still has a lot of the original architectural elements in it, despite the fact that I've upgraded it a bit."

He parked the car and quickly came to my side to open my door. Helping me out, he led me up the stairs. After unlocking the front door, he held it open for me. "Welcome. Please come in," he said softly. His eyes were eager.

"Will I be rendered powerless now?"

He laughed, kissing me on the nose. "We'll see."

From what I could see as we walked in, Edward had classic taste; his house was impeccably furnished. Mission style furniture adorned the hallway and living room. Beautiful pieces of art were on the walls, some of which I actually recognized: I was pretty sure they were originals. He took my coat while I took in the view, admiring it all.

He turned on some more lights and asked, "Which would you prefer first? The shower, some food or a tour?"

"What?"

"Well, I know you don't like staying sweaty, I stocked up on some food so that we could make sure you were fed, and I'm happy to show you around since I'm sure you're dying to see where I keep the bodies."

All of this took me aback and then I laughed. "Okay, first a quick rinse off, then a small snack and the tour." I suddenly remembered something. "Oh rats, I shouldn't have changed. I messed up these clothes."

He grabbed me by the hand and led me toward the bathroom. "No worries, Ms. Swan. I have clothes for you."

"You what?"

"Alice Fedexed several changes of clothing for you. I hope you like them. Alice is quite the little fashion maven, but I think she stayed within your style comfort zone."

I was amazed. These family talents were going to take some getting used to. "Seriously?"

Edward stood behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist. He began to kiss my neck. I felt several waves of desire shoot straight down to my toes. I took a deep breath in and let it out slowly. _Jeez, cool it Bella: he can probably smell your hormones starting to flare up._ "Well," he said, "I wasn't planning to let you go too soon. Now there is no reason for you to go home." He continued to move his lips back and forth across my neck and shoulders. "Mmm, Bella, I know you don't like it but even your sweat smells good." _I swear to God, if he doesn't stop this we'll be naked on the floor in a minute._

He uttered a low growl and then let me go suddenly. I felt weak in the knees momentarily and had to grab on to the doorway to keep my balance. He exhaled loudly and then pointed out the towels and the clean clothes. I could see him behind me as I faced the mirror over the bathroom sink. He looked like I felt. Running his long fingers through his hair, his smoldering eyes met mine in the mirror. His smile was seductive. "I'll be out here if you need me for anything."

I managed to get control of myself for the moment. "You can stop with the sultry, luring voice, Edward. You had me as soon as you stepped on the ice." I grinned at his shocked face and closed the door.

~#~

I had intended to just have a quick shower, but I decided I needed some more time to cool off from what had just happened. I turned the shower on and jumped in quickly, before it had the chance to heat up. Knowing that he could hear any noise I made, I kept my yelp to myself. _HOLY SHIT THAT'S COLD!_ It shocked me back down off the erotic cloud I'd been on. Finally, the water was hot and I got on with my shower.

Alice had selected some lovely cotton lounging clothes for me: a dark blue short-sleeved v-neck button up top and some matching pants. It wasn't sexy, which was fine, because it made me feel comfortable. She even provided slippers to match. The undergarments she'd selected, however, were a different story… dark blue as well, but skimpy, lacy and see-through! Thank goodness they were UNDER garments.

Edward was leaning against the wall outside of the bathroom as I stepped out. He had changed his clothing as well, wearing a Harvard Medical School t-shirt, dark lounge pajama bottoms and a smirk on his lips. I felt self-conscious immediately. _Do I have something on backward?_

"What?" I asked. "Do I look funny?"

He took two steps across the hall to stand inches away from me. "Funny? No. Adorable? Yes." His hands reached up to cup my face and he kissed me gently on the forehead. "Long shower tonight?" I felt my face starting to flush. "Seven minutes and 38 seconds is just too long to be away from you Bella." He took my hand and led me down the hall.

"Who went to Harvard Med?" I asked.

"I did."

"Huh?"

"I've been a vampire for over 80 years. I had to do something useful with my time."

We stepped into a beautiful kitchen with cherry wood cabinets, consistent with the rest of the mission-style furniture of the living room. The counters had been upgraded to a light granite which covered all surfaces, including a middle island that had four tall barstools sitting under the island lip.

My mouth dropped open again, but I had no words.

He saw my reaction and chuckled, then sat me on one of the barstools and walked around the island toward the refrigerator. "What can I get for you?"

I looked around. I had no idea what he even had. "Um, do you have milk, bread and peanut butter?"

He frowned. "That's all that you want?"

I shrugged, "Comfort food."

His face grew concerned. "Bella, are you uncomfortable?"

I looked down at the counter and bit my lip. I sighed. "Edward, you're gorgeous and immortal. You have a million powers. You live in an amazing house and you're apparently loaded. I'm getting the feeling that I'm about to hear about 15 different advanced degrees. You probably can't remember what it feels like to be an ordinary human. Believe me, if our roles were reversed, you'd be in need of some comfort as well."

He ghosted to me in a fraction of a second and suddenly I was sitting on a different stool on his lap. He brought his free hand under my chin to lift my face so that I would look at him. "Bella, you're far from ordinary." His green eyes were gentle and sparkling. "I would trade it all – my wealth, my _eight_ advanced degrees, my powers, my immortality just to spend one lifetime with you."

I could hear my heart skip a beat as he finished… and so could he. He smiled warmly, relief reflecting in his features, and said, "Peanut butter sandwich it is."

~#~

The rest of the house was just as amazing. All rooms were decorated similarly. Artifacts from his travels were scattered in various spots around the home. In addition to his eight advanced degrees, I learned that he had spent time in South America and Africa doing charity work… building homes and roads, teaching children and tending to the sick and needy. He knew several languages and was obviously musically gifted, as he demonstrated for me on his grand piano in the music room.

By the time we reached the upstairs floor, I was more in awe of him than before and I could not for the life of me fathom why he was hanging around me. Aside from probably being the only 25-year old virgin with type-O negative blood in the Chicago-land area, there was nothing special about me.

Edward raised my hand to his lips and kissed it gently as we stood at the top of the stairs. "I can see what you're thinking, Bella: it is all over your face again. You're the most wonderful, special person I've ever met. I'm the ordinary one out of the two of us."

He opened the door that was to the left of the staircase and gestured for me to enter. "This is my bedroom."

His bedroom. _Gulp._

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**A/N: Gulp. Thanks for reading so far. Please review.**


	19. You Learn by Doing

**Disclaimer: The characters of Twilight are owned by Stephenie Meyer. The content, ideas and intellectual property of this story and the 'American Vampire Series' in its entirety are owned by Just4ALE.**

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Chapter 19: You Learn by Doing**

**EPOV**

"See? No coffins. I told you."

"It's beautiful, Edward, just like the rest of the house." She looked around at the bookshelves. "So many books!"

"Being the only 'single' member of my family, I've had a lot of time on my hands. It keeps me occupied." _Perhaps she'd like some soft lighting. _I looked around the room and lit a few candles.

I lay down on my bed, my eyes following her around the room as she took everything in. She walked around looking at each item as she had done on the first floor.

She turned to me, suddenly looking kind of shy. I held my hand out to her. She gently put hers in mine and I pulled her toward me. I guided her into my arms so that her back was to my chest and I was holding her in the spoon position.

It felt easy to be with her and yet I knew that I still needed to be careful. I could still smell her wonderful scent. I could hear her heart. I could feel her pulse. The monstrous part of me that thirsted for her blood as nourishment, however, lay silent, making way for a different animal altogether. The human I once was, the one I could have been had fate taken an alternate route, had awakened… and with him, came desires that overwhelmed me in another way. Thankfully, her energy level was within normal bounds.

I wanted to be with her, to make her mine, to feel her warmth, to make her happy, to keep her safe. She had changed me completely in our short time together. I no longer felt lonely. The control I now needed to exercise was of a different kind, but it was one in which I was starting to feel more confident. Carlisle's advice was sound. Build up to it. I held her close.

I could hear her heart beating wildly. "Are you okay?" I asked.

"Yes," she said quickly.

"I can hear your heart, Bella. Are you a little nervous?"

"I'm a lot nervous, Edward."

"Why? I promise that I won't harm you."

"I'm not worried about that. It's just that…" she stopped herself.

I lifted my head and moved so that my chin was on her shoulder. "What, Love?"

"I feel like I'm ready, but I'm afraid I don't know what to do."

"You don't have to do anything. I can wait."

"But…"

I shifted a little so that I could turn her face toward mine. Touching her cheek with my fingertips, I whispered. "I can wait."

Her brow furrowed, and she got a frustrated look on her face. Her lips pursed to the side.

"What?"

"I just wish that I knew more about this stuff. I feel so stupid. I should have watched some X-rated movies or something."

I laughed softly, hugging her tightly. "They show sex in regular movies…"

"Yes but they show so little of it. Just body parts and shadows. I mean, yeah, they show naked people riding one another... but is there a certain timing to it all? And what it's supposed to feel like... you never get that from movies."

"You never thought to read about it?"

"Between my Catholic upbringing and living with the Chief of Police during my late formative teen years, it never occurred to me," she said sheepishly.

"What about your hormones?

"I'm kind of a late bloomer. Unfortunately, they awakened when I was no longer a teenager… at 20!"

"Why unfortunately?"

"I was still going to church every week at that time. I couldn't reconcile the conflict. There was one guy I liked in my dorm. My body was very attracted to him, but my head was stuck with the idea that it was wrong. I only allowed myself to act when I'd had some alcohol, and even then, my subconscious stopped me before it went very far."

The history of a true innocent… this was quite fascinating.

"So you've never had a boyfriend?"

She stiffened slightly and then, pausing only for a second, answered, "Not really."

I noticed the change instantly. "Why did you pause there?"

She took a deep breath and exhaled. "It's not like I didn't want a boyfriend. Before business school, I was interested in a guy at work. Jacob. He was a good friend but I wanted it to be more. He wasn't interested in dating only me. We hung out every weekend to cook dinner and watch TV and we kind of messed around a little..."

A minor pang of jealousy began to rear its ugly head. _This is the past, Edward. It doesn't matter now._

"…but my definition of messing around and the general world's definition are two entirely different things. It was still pretty tame. Had we been exclusive, I would have slept with him, but it never went that direction. It screwed with my heart, nonetheless. I couldn't separate the physical attraction from my emotional attachment to him."

I tried to get a sense of this jackass Jacob who would ever choose to be a free agent when Bella was interested in him. I couldn't picture it. _I should be shaking the jackass's hand._

Her lips pursed again. "So now here I am, ready to go, and completely paralyzed." She put her hands over her face. "I really should have watched some porn," she said again.

I laughed again. "That might have turned you off altogether. The cameras get up close and personal on only one thing. It's not a pretty sight."

"So how do people learn this stuff?" It almost came out like a whine. She was so uneasy. So self-assured everywhere else… but here, so off-balance.

I softly rubbed her arm. "They learn by doing."

She sighed. "It sucks being a late bloomer."

We lay silently together for a long time, her back to me, my arms wrapped around her body. I softly rubbed her arm, caressed her hair, her cheeks. I touched my fingers to her lips. I purposely kept away from her neck knowing what it did to us both. I wanted to just hold her and make her feel safe.

I thought she had fallen asleep but then she sighed and leaned into me, trying to get closer. She took a deep breath and slowly let it out. Quietly, she asked, "What would you be doing if you were trying to seduce me?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, if I was human and you were a vampire trying to seduce your prey…"

"Let's stay away from that scenario, okay? That's not the situation here."

"But how does it work? Humans and vampires…"

"Sometimes, not very well."

"But you said it is possible."

"Oh, yes, it is very possible, more so if there are any feelings behind the attraction. A rare occurrence for vampires, I'll admit, but it has been known to happen."

"So then, imagine that you have feelings for me…"

I growled a little in her ear. "I do have feelings for you, Bella. That should be clear by now."

She continued. "…and the gloves were off. No restrictions on you, except for one: no biting."

I turned her slightly so that I could look into her eyes and confirm what I thought she was asking.

There was a blush on her cheeks but her gaze was intense. "What would you do?" she whispered.

I took a deep breath in and exhaled. Softly, I unbuttoned the first button on her top and caressed her collarbone. She took a breath and held it. I could hear her heartbeat pick up. I unbuttoned the next button carefully and slowly pulled my left arm out from under her to lay her flat on my bed while I propped myself up on that arm. I looked into her deep brown eyes and then stared at her lips. Moving in slowly, I pressed my lips to hers, letting my tongue flick gently in her mouth when it opened under mine. I continued to caress her gently, from her breastbone upward and back down, never straying from that line. Leaning over her, I pulled her toward me, wrapping her left leg around my body. Then I shifted positions, moving her on top of me.

Kissing her softly again on her lips, I moved in closer to whisper in her ear, "If I were trying to seduce you, I might do something like this."

"Oh," she said, trying to be casual, "that might be a start."

"I would want you to enjoy it."

"I think I would," she said quietly.

I looked up into her eyes and spoke honestly. "Bella, I need to go slowly with you. I don't want to hurt you."

Her eyes were gentle. "I know you don't. I trust you."

I trust you. That one statement washed over me like warm sunlight heating my cold body. She trusted me and I refused to betray that trust. I could do this. I would not harm her.

I pushed her up so that she was sitting on me. I sat up with her, moving her legs to wrap around my back. I kissed her neck and unbuttoned another button on her top. I could see the lacy blue bra that Alice had picked out for her. _Thanks, Alice._

My mouth moved over her exposed skin and she trembled. She pulled herself closer to me, her mouth on mine. I gently pushed her back down so that we were sideways on the bed and I was on top of her. She pulled me toward her, pulling off my shirt.

I felt her mouth on my chest. A moan escaped my lips as my body shuddered. "You're better at this than you think, Bella." Her hands moved up my chest and neck until they settled in the hair at my nape. She pulled me back down on her, her lips urgent. I could smell her arousal and see her energy level escalating. I could feel the excitement in my own body, the stirrings in my pants and my mouth simultaneously, but I pushed it back with all my control. _No Edward. No fangs. This is about Bella…_

Before I knew it, her hands were reaching for my pants. I stopped her.

I took a deep breath before speaking. "No," I said, shaking my head.

She paused, surprised. "Why not?"

"Because I'm not ready for that. I need to understand your responses and make sure I can handle them. Besides, you asked me what I would do. This is what I would do. It wouldn't be about me..." I moved one hand to caress her cheek and push her hair from her face. "Anyway, you're not ready for that, even though you think you are."

"How do you know I'm not ready?" she asked.

I moved my hand toward the waistband of her pants. I took one finger and gently slid it between her skin and the waistband, moving my finger from side to side softly caressing her abdomen. Her eyes closed and her back arched under my touch as she bit her bottom lip. "I could show you, but it would be very ungentlemanly of me."

Her eyes flew open. "I'm in your bed, my blouse is half unbuttoned, you're lying on top of me and NOW you're worried about chivalry?"

I chuckled and then looked at her seriously. "Bella, my love, please let me do this my way. Don't worry… I'll take care of you."

My mouth covered hers and our tongues met briefly. I broke the kiss and then began to move my mouth slowly and steadily downward. My hands kept pace with my mouth, caressing her exposed and unexposed skin. As I passed her belly button, I put my fingers back between her waistband and her body. She gasped softly and held her breath, realizing what I was about to do. I looked back up at her and met her gaze.

Still watching her eyes, I ran my tongue around and in her belly button and then winked at her. "I'll try to keep it NC-17-rated for tonight..." And then I continued down her body.

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**A/N: Ah, Edward. (sigh.) Thanks for reading so far. Please review.**

_BTW, I have posted an outtake of this chapter from BPOV in my American Vampire Series Outtakes. _**  
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	20. Ah, Bite Me

**Disclaimer: The characters of Twilight are owned by Stephenie Meyer. The content, ideas and intellectual property of this story and the 'American Vampire Series' in its entirety are owned by Just4ALE.**

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Chapter 20: Ah, Bite Me**

**BPOV**

The next morning when I awoke, Edward had breakfast waiting for me… juice, coffee, cereal. He sat watching me eat, asking me more questions about my likes, dislikes, growing up, my best friends. I'd never met someone so interested in me. It was unnerving... and flattering... and heartwarming all at the same time.

I took a long shower after breakfast, blushing as I remembered the events of the previous night. I'd wanted to take it further. I felt that I was finally ready… but he wasn't. He needed to adapt to my higher energy levels and so he insisted that the night be only about me. For the first time in my life, I'd felt… sexy. No one had ever made me feel that way; Jacob had always made me feel like I was never good enough. _Ha! Screw you Jacob Black! _And then all Jacob thoughts went away. There was no comparison to Edward.

We left around 11 a.m. to go to the pond. The one hour drive flew by as we listened to music and continued to pepper each other with trivial questions. Along the way, he clued me in on his other little talent: he could read minds. All minds. Except for mine.

"Why didn't you mention this one before?" I asked incredulously.

"I thought that between the energy reading, the Force and the vampirism, I didn't need more to scare you off."

"Why, you're practically a superhero! Why would I be scared off?" He laughed and squeezed my hand.

The roads within the park had been cleared of the snow since our last visit and Edward was able to park in a lot that was right off of the pond. The day was a little warmer than last time we were here but the ice was still frozen. As his skating abilities were not a surprise anymore, I took full advantage of his leading. He'd brought the iPod and player and we enjoyed the music.

I never thought I'd be able to skate well, but he was very strong and able to keep me steady when I started to wobble on a turn or balance point. My heart was flying as I sped along with him on the ice. As time wore on, I got more sure of myself and was able to do some small turns and even a simple axle. After I completed one of these, he would ghost to me and kiss me.

After yet another of those moments, I broke away laughing breathlessly. "Why do you keep doing that?"

He held me, hands around my waist, spinning us slowly around. "I'm sorry, does it bother you? I can't help myself. Your energy level is so elevated that I'm pulled in. It's like a magnet… I just want to touch you."

His last phrase came out like a growl… low, deep and throaty. A warm shiver went through me and I took a deep breath. I exhaled and closed my eyes.

He chuckled and I opened my eyes to see his looking into mine with longing and amusement. "I think I know what you were thinking right then."

"Probably," I admitted. "But thankfully, you're a gentleman and won't ask me further details."

Smiling, he grabbed my hand and led me over to the log to sit down. He then pulled out a thermos with some cider and a small sandwich he'd made for me. The cider was warm and made me feel toasty inside; I nibbled on a few bites of the sandwich and then stood up to continue skating.

I went to practice some of the moves he taught me and made a big loop all around the ice while he stood close to the shore. The music echoed across the pond and I took up speed skating formation to charge at him. I aimed to go around him but he caught my hand and then stopped me in my tracks.

He laughed again and moved in to kiss me but stopped when his phone buzzed. A text message. We both looked down at the screen on his phone.

**Alice: Incoming! To the West.**

Edward's head snapped quickly to the left and he stared off into the distance, his brow furrowed as he concentrated as if he were trying to hear something. His phone buzzed again.

**Alice: No time. They'll follow. MARK HER.**

He gasped and then looked back at me panic-stricken. Suddenly, I realized I was flying and then standing 15 feet from where we had been. Edward had carried me in a second to the tree at which we'd shared our first kiss.

"Edward? What's wrong?"

What happened next was a blur, but time seemed to stop as I watched it all unfold. He extended his hand outward toward the edge of the shore and the iPod player flew into it. He turned the music down and set the player off to the side. He immediately followed that by extending his hand toward the rest of our belongings. The food hopped in the backpack and suddenly the backpack and boots were flying in our direction, dropping just at his feet. I gasped. _Wow – he really can do that!_

But the thought flew out of my head as I watched him, confused. Within seconds he had knelt down, untied my skates, put my feet in my boots and did the same for himself. He was on his feet immediately after, grabbing my hands in his. He looked desperate.

"Please? What's happening? What did Alice see?"

He stared at my face, his expression contorted as if he were in agony.

"We have company coming. I can feel them and hear them."

I didn't need to ask what kind of company could panic him in this way. I could feel my fear beginning to grow.

He closed his eyes for a brief moment. When he opened them, his expression had calmed. He touched my face and spoke quietly. "I need to bite you."

My heart stopped. "What!?" I sputtered.

"We don't have much time. I need to mark you before they get here."

"They won't leave me alone if I'm with you? Can they sense this bond you've talked about?"

He shook his head. "From what I can sense of their minds and energies, they're nomadic: their 'rules' are looser and you still smell virginal and human. I'm so sorry… this isn't the way this should happen," he said gently.

"Do you have to turn me?" I whispered.

"No, just mark you as mine." He looked me over, thinking quickly and speaking more to himself than me. "They'll need to see it so it will have to be on your neck. You wear turtlenecks and scarves all the time… no one at school should notice. The bruise will be gone in a few days."

I realized that he was unnaturally peaceful… and that he was doing it for my benefit. He wanted me to feel at ease but I could sense the concern underlying his tranquil exterior and I was petrified. He held my shoulders and continued to speak quietly. "Bella, please stay calm. Your fear will only make you more attractive to them right now."

"How can I be calm?" I was shaking.

"You'll be okay once they see what I've done, but we have to hurry – we have only a minute left at best."

I couldn't ease my fear. "Will it hurt?"

He touched my face again. "Not you. Only me."

"You'll be hurt?"

For a second, he let his mask slip and I saw the pain underneath. "Emotionally. It's killing me to have do this. At the right time, you must ask me. Don't worry: I WILL stop. Do you trust me?"

Unable to speak, I nodded, my eyes wide.

He gently took my hands in his and then suddenly pinned them against the tree so that they were on either side of my waist. He looked into my eyes and then pressed his body up against mine. He kissed me, his lips parting against mine so that he could move his tongue across my lips. I felt a chill go through me. He pulled away again. His voice took that low, sultry tone. "Remember last night. Think about that right now." He leaned in to kiss me again. Then, with his lips inches from mine, he said quickly, "I'm so sorry it is happening this way. You're going to be out of it for a little while, but you will be okay. DON'T get used to this or you'll never graduate - and remember to ask me."

All of that came out in a blur. I tried to take it in. _Don't get used to this? What part? Don't get used to being in the woods about to be attacked by vampires? What did he mean?_

And then his lips were on mine. He pressed into me hard, kissing me fiercely and deeply, his tongue darting in and out lightly. I began to feel distracted. Then he let go of my hands which I instinctively wrapped around his neck, pulling him to me. My fear was subsiding, although I was still somewhat aware of the imminent danger. His hands moved to my waist and slid down my legs. Suddenly, he grasped my thighs, lifted me up and wrapped my legs around his body. My back was still against the tree while my bottom half was straddled around him.

He was so strong, with one arm clutching me to him while he freed his other arm and began ripping my scarf away from my neck, unzipping my jacket, and reaching under my sweater. His hands were cold as he began to caress me but I only felt warm wherever his skin touched mine. His lips moved from my mouth downward as his arms pulled me closer. I realized he was at my neck and I was completely overheating. He uttered a low growl.

My fear was gone, replaced completely by an overwhelming desire for him. I moaned in response to his growl, "I trust you." Somehow, I managed to turn my head down slightly to look at him and get the words out. "Please, Edward," I whispered, "bite me."

His eyes met mine briefly and then I heard his whisper back, "I love you, Bella." He kissed my neck gently, as I closed my eyes steeling myself for the unknown. _What does a vampire bite feel like? Discomfort? Pain?_

I felt his fangs sink in. I felt him cling to me as he drank. I felt the blood being sucked out of me.

I gasped in realization.

_Oh. My. God._

_Pleasure._

_Absolute pleasure._

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**A/N: Thanks for reading so far. Please review.**


	21. Strangers

**Disclaimer: The characters of Twilight are owned by Stephenie Meyer. The content, ideas and intellectual property of this story and the 'American Vampire Series' in its entirety are owned by Just4ALE.**

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Chapter 21: Strangers**

**EPOV**

_Damned foolish!_ James had warned me that others would be passing through. I should have kept her safely absconded in my house for the whole weekend, but who knew they'd come this way? Alice hadn't warned me about any danger… except from James. I was momentarily furious at Alice and her visions. She'd said nothing about this.

But maybe that was intentional. Maybe for some reason, she felt this had to happen. I'd have to speak with her once we made it out of this.

Carlisle had been right about taking it slow. I had proceeded carefully and gently with Bella last night. Her energy at the height of her orgasms had been turned up to a… five level, I'd estimate, and I had been able to keep my stirrings contained while she started to break free. At first I'd been nervous and I kept a couple of pillows down at my end of the bed in case I felt the need to bite something…. but it had thrilled me to just please her and that as my primary goal became my strength.

I had been eager for another night with her to see what else I could do for her and how far she would let herself go, but my hand was being forced now. To save her life, at least for now, I had to mark her. I didn't want her to know that feeling before she'd tasted all the normal human sexual experiences. I could only hope she wouldn't like it that much.

I kept my tone calm to take her down from her panic. I distracted her out of her fear in those short moments, focusing her energy on me and focusing my energy on her, on us. I let my mind go, thinking the erotic thoughts that I had suppressed until now, allowing the sexual stirrings to pulse through my body, allowing my fangs to grow. When the others came along, they'd see my intent not to kill, but to seduce. Most of our kind typically respected this, whether they were civilized or not... and while they might ask if I'd 'share', they typically accepted negative replies.

"I trust you," she moaned, and then she asked me: "Please, Edward. Bite me."

I loved her in that moment more fiercely than I could ever imagine. My heart felt like it would simultaneously break and restart. I hated myself for having to do this, for wanting to do this, for ever imagining doing this. And I feared for the taste.

Our eyes met,"I love you, Bella" was all that I could say in that short moment and I kissed her in the very spot into which I next sank my teeth.

She gasped and then cried, "Oh my God!"

My feelings exactly, had I still believed in God.

_The taste. OH THE TASTE!_

Like a past dream so long forgotten. Like what I vaguely remembered of honey. Like mangos. Like dark chocolate. And so much more.

And then the feeling of my mouth against her skin, of my teeth in her flesh. I had denied myself for so long, it was almost too much to take. The taste. The feeling.

I focused, concentrating on my passion and lust for her body and not my thirst for her blood. Images of her flickered rapidly through my mind, her soft naked body in my bed, her sweet moans as my mouth moved all over her skin last night. I drank slowly and deeply, counting my swallows so that I could stop before any bloodlust took over.

With all my strength, I pulled back and gasped. Her blood was on my lips; I slowly licked them clean, savoring the last drops as my fangs shrank back to normal size.

I heard them behind us, on the other side of the pond; I felt their eyes watching us and I could hear their minds. My immediate concern, however, was Bella.

My lips moved toward hers and I kissed her. Her eyes were unfocused, dazed. She kissed me back forcefully for one brief moment and then her body became limp. I caught her, preventing her from falling to the ground. I grabbed her legs and quickly carried her to the car, buckling her into the passenger seat. I took my phone from my pocket and sent a brief text message, then I walked back to the tree, picked up the music, bag and skates and casually started back to the car.

Knowing they were going to materialize momentarily, I turned and stopped to face them head-on, about four feet from the car. They stopped eight feet from me.

"Greetings," I said.

There were two. Both were large olive skinned males, with dark hair, dressed as hikers. One wore his hair cropped short while the other had longer hair pulled back into a ponytail.

"Hello," said the longer haired one. "I am Demetri and this is Felix."

"I am Edward. I don't recognize you… are you passing through on your way somewhere?"

Demetri continued to speak. "We're headed to Mardi Gras. We were just in Canada… heading south for the spring."

Felix grinned and nodded toward the car. "We saw you back there. Stopping for a bite to eat while hiking?" He raised his nose and inhaled. _Ah, lucky bastard._ He looked back at me. "Got virgin?"

Demetri's eyes flicked between me and the girl in the car. His eyes narrowed on Bella; I could hear his thoughts as he took in the shape of the bite on her neck.

"Ah, no," he said. "You've marked her?"

I tried to look as leering as possible. "A little afternoon delight. My 'date' you see."

"Oh, not a chance encounter here?" Felix asked, still looking for his angle.

"No, we drove out here together. We were enjoying the afternoon so much, but I'm afraid I got a little carried away. She's not much good to me in the state she's in right now..."

I heard it coming before Felix spoke, "Except for dinner."

My face turned sour. Demetri spoke before I did.

"Pardon my friend, but Felix lacks tact sometimes. We can see that you plan more than a meal here. We will not interfere with your 'plaything.'"

"I appreciate that." I paused, trying to change the topic and get them on their way. "Do you know many vampires in New Orleans? I could refer you to some who could help you around…"

"That is cordial of you, but we're very familiar with the town," Demetri responded.

"Mardi Gras is a ripe time for hunting… no one misses a few dozen tourists among the throngs," added Felix.

_Disgusting_. "Indeed," I said, grinning my best evil grin.

I could hear Bella moan from behind me in the car. "Ah," I said, "she's waking. I must get her home before she remembers too much. Gentlemen, it was a pleasure meeting you. Happy hunting."

Demetri spoke. "Good bye, Edward. I'm sure our paths will cross another time."

I turned and felt their eyes on me as I got in to the car and drove off. I knew that they wouldn't follow me; however, I drove casually until I was several miles away, and then sped up quickly.

~#~

It was important that I get her somewhere warm immediately. I turned north on the highway, going the opposite direction of Chicago toward my cabin along the lake. We were about 30 miles away.

I picked up the phone and pressed Alice's speed-dial number. She answered on the first ring.

"Edward?" I could tell she had me on speakerphone.

"Alice," I growled. "What the hell? Couldn't you have given me more of a warning?"

A low growl came back in response. Jasper was there with her. "Screw you, Edward, don't you take that tone with her!" Jasper was Alice's soul mate and fiercely protective of her. "You know how her visions work. It's not her fault you decided to take Bella out today!"

Alice spoke softly. "Jazz, it's okay… Edward, they were heading a different route and then the music sent them your way."

"So you didn't see the possibility that we might be here at the same time before that? Not at all!?"

"I wasn't watching for them. I was watching out for James, but once I saw this happening, I realized that marking her would be the best solution for both situations right now. I'm sorry, Edward. I know you didn't want to do this so soon."

I had been right. Alice did want this to happen… and she did it because she wanted to save Bella. I felt a pang of regret for my tone.

Bella moaned in the passenger seat.

"I have to go Alice. I'm… I'm sorry that I was so rude. Thank you for the text… at least that got through. My apologies to you too, Jasper."

Jasper spoke quietly. "She'll be okay Edward," Alice piped in softly, "Go take care of your girl." They hung up.

Bella's eyes started to flutter open. "Edward?"

"Bella," I said, relief flooding into my body. "Don't worry, my love, you're fine."

Vampire bites in the manner in which I'd delivered mine would heighten her state of arousal. I had to get her inside and move ahead with caution. I'd heard of humans stripping down and running naked through the streets after a 'love bite' such as the one I'd given her. This was not the time, place or weather for that. Nor did I want her that way... it wasn't safe for either of us.

I made the 30 mile trip in 12 minutes. Tearing up the driveway, I parked, got her out of the car and threw her over my shoulder. I ran up the stairs to the cabin, mentally unlocking the front door, throwing it open and stepping inside. As I made my way across the room, I took in the view around me and saw that my housekeeper had gotten the text and prepared the cabin for my visit. I set Bella down to sit on the couch; her eyes were open now and I could see her looking at me silently, lust and wonder all in one look. _Oh, no. I was afraid of that._

Kneeling by her side, I touched her face. "Bella, it's okay. Stay focused. I'm here."

She sat up, slowly took off her coat and then kicked off her boots. Smiling a seductive, lusty smile, she touched my face. "I want you, Edward."

I kissed her gently, pushing her away as her kiss clearly made her intent known. "I know you do, but we need to get you settled down."

"I don't want to settle down," she said, wrapping her legs around my body. She started to reach for the hem of her sweater to pull it off of her.

I grabbed her wrists with my left hand, and turned to the fireplace. Stretching my right hand out in that direction, a fire burst out amongst the wood.

Seeing me do this, she paused. "Oh, my," she whispered in wonder, her eyes big. I decided to take advantage of the momentary reprieve in her actions.

With her legs still wrapped around me, I scooped her up and ran with her to the bathroom, turning the water on as I ran. The water was steaming when we got there. Fully dressed, I stepped in, still holding her. A cold shower would have been better to bring her down from the love bite but shock was going to be next and heat was better for that.

"What…" she began to ask.

But I silenced her with a kiss and set her down. I held her close while the hot water drenched us. At first, she pressed herself close to me, grinding her groin into mine, the bite still controlling her movements. "No, Bella, you're not yourself. Just hold on." I spun her quickly so that her back was to me and I held her from behind so that the water could hit her directly in the face. She struggled to turn back to me, but my grip was like a vice. After a moment, her heightened arousal dissipated as the water shocked her. Then she started shaking from the realization of the day's events.

Turning her to face me, I quickly stripped off her clothes down to her bra and underwear so that the hot water could heat her skin. She was coming around now and she grabbed me holding me close. I held her as tightly as possible, caressing her hair and kissing her forehead until her shivering lessened.

Shutting off the water, I got a towel and dried her off. I reached into a cabinet and grabbed a t-shirt, pulling it over her head: it was like a mini dress on her. With the t-shirt covering her, I reached under and unhooked her bra and pulled it off of her and then reached under and got her out of her wet underwear. Next I got one of the heavier robes from behind the door and helped her get her arms in the holes and then wrapped it around her. I moved her to the living room to sit by the fire and came back to the bathroom.

Shedding my wet things, I pulled on a pair of sweatpants folded neatly by the towels and grabbed the lighter robe and put it on. I piled our wet clothes in the shower, quickly laid out towels to soak up the puddles on the floor and then joined her back in the living room.

She was looking into the fire when I knelt down beside her again. "Bella, Love, are you okay?"

She didn't look at me. She just continued to stare blankly into the fire.

"Can I get you something? Water? Hot tea?"

Still no response.

My medical training kicked in… she'd lost blood and was in shock. She needed something with sugar to replenish her system and get her energy back up. I jumped up and ran to the kitchen to grab a small glass of orange juice and some tea biscuits. It was the quickest thing I could find.

Hurrying back, I knelt back by her side.

"Bella…"

She took a deep breath and then turned to look at me.

I cupped her face in my hands. "I'm so sorry for what happened. Can you forgive me? You'll be okay now… I brought you something to eat and drink, in case you need it."

She looked down at the juice and cookies and then back up at my face. She stared into my eyes, searching, thinking.

I let go of her face and grabbed her hands, looking down at them in mine. What was she going to say? How had today's events affected her? Everything had happened so fast. I felt desperate… and actually in pain at the thought of her reaction to me now.

How could Alice and Jasper say it would be okay? I was a monster for risking her life. A monster for drinking her blood. A monster for wanting her even more, in all ways and for always. She would undoubtedly choose a normal life, one free of vampire lovers and immortal dangers. I felt that I would be sucked into the void never to surface should she... when she would naturally choose that path. I was again in agony.

"Bella, please tell me what you're thinking… no matter what it is."

I steeled myself for the inevitable.

* * *

**A/N: Ruh roh, what will Bella do? Thanks for reading so far. Please review.**


	22. The Cabin

**Disclaimer: The characters of Twilight are owned by Stephenie Meyer. The content, ideas and intellectual property of this story and the 'American Vampire Series' in its entirety are owned by Just4ALE.**

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Chapter 22: The Cabin**

**BPOV**

He wanted to know what I was thinking. Where to start? Such odd thoughts flitting simultaneously through my brain:

_Where are we? Whose cabin is this?_

_The fire is warm._

_He brought me juice and cookies like they serve in kindergarten. Kind of funny._

_I was almost completely naked in the shower with a fully clothed vampire._

_The next time I'm on the ice, I want him to teach me the arc and spread eagle move._

_He bit me… Edward bit me. Was I tasty?_

_This is a nice fuzzy robe._

_After our evening last night, I think I have a boyfriend now. Is boyfriend the right term? _

_Oh, my clothes got wet. What will I wear?_

_I love him._

That one surprised me.

"Bella," he said again. "Please. Are you okay?"

He had my hands in his, looking at them. It seemed like he was almost afraid to look at me. _Afraid? Why would a vampire ever be afraid of a human?_

I looked at his face. It was sad. He really hadn't wanted to bite me… and yet he had to and then he made himself stop. That must have been difficult. The events surrounding the bite were fuzzy at first but they were beginning to clear up. Unlike last night where the pleasurable feelings had been centered, well, where he'd put all his focus… I vaguely recalled bliss everywhere. Pure pleasure coming out of every pore in my body.

Despite my odd fascination with vampires, I had never even tried to imagine being bitten. It wasn't something I cared to know about, particularly since it was often the last thing one might ever feel. I did see women in movies offering themselves to vampires for a taste; they looked like they enjoyed it, but they were often scantily dressed, long-legged women who were nothing like me. They looked like crazy trampy girls with no apparent brains to speak of.

_Who's the crazy brainless trampy one now, huh Bella? Knowingly hanging around with a vampire. Letting him go down on you last night. Letting him bite you in the middle of a park. Enjoying it even. Yeesh. _

_Hey! I'm not trampy_! I argued with myself. And I certainly wasn't brainless. I loved him.

I felt a chill go through me as I acknowledged the thought. _Hmmm. So it is true what they say… you just know. Am I glowing?_

It just popped out.

"I love you."

His head snapped up, looking at my face. "You what?"

"I love you."

"Bella…" he said tentatively. He looked into my eyes, searching for traces of the bite still remaining. He seemed taken aback by what he saw there.

I was fully conscious, fully myself.

"It's me talking Edward. Me. I love you."

I moved from the hearth and crawled to sit on his lap, my legs straddled over his kneeling form. I took the robe off and let it fall back behind me; I was definitely warm by now. The t-shirt was damp from my wet hair and the places he had missed when he toweled me off. I slowly reached down to the belt on his robe and untied it. Running my hands over his bare chest, I pushed the robe off of him and then hugged myself closer to him, my mouth near his ear. The heat from my body was radiating through the wet t-shirt.

"I want you, Edward."

He held me close. I could feel his body shaking.

"That's an invitation," I whispered in his ear. "I've asked you nicely... don't make me beg."

He picked me up and carried me to the bedroom.

~#~

No, we didn't make love… although I wanted to. I was more than ready. Edward said that he wasn't, but I didn't want it to be just about me. Hesitantly, he let me tend to his needs – how I knew what to do, I have NO idea. I had tried these things a couple of times with Jacob, but I wasn't exactly familiar with a man's body parts and I can't say I was any good at it. With Edward, though, it felt natural and I let myself do whatever I thought might feel nice for him. He seemed afraid at first, gripping on to the sheets with white knuckles as my mouth made my way down his body. Slowly, he began to relax as he gained control over himself and he moaned at last with his release. Afterward, he reciprocated.

A long while later, we lay looking at each other, me on my stomach while Edward was on his side, his head propped up on his left hand. His fingers were gently caressing my skin up and down my back.

"What are you thinking?" he asked me. "It is so odd for me not to be able to hear you."

So many things were again floating in and out of my brain… none of them sticking for very long. I plucked the one that just popped in at that moment.

"I was thinking that it was just yesterday you picked me up from Karate. What a difference a day makes, huh?" I didn't know what time it was, but I got the sense it was around 7 or 8pm.

"Yes, it has been an active 24 hours." He leaned over and kissed my shoulder. "How do you feel?" he murmured, lips moving down my back.

"A little overwhelmed… but also wonderful." Just then my stomach growled a little.

He sat up straight. "Oh, you must be hungry! You hardly ate at all today… I'm sorry…" He got out of bed and looked for his sweatpants which were tangled in the blankets. _What a body!_ I didn't want to ogle too obviously so I closed my eyes.

I felt his breath in my face. "Why are you smiling?" he asked. I opened my eyes again and there he was, inches from me.

"It's times like these that I'm glad you can't hear my mind. I was thinking impure thoughts," I admitted, embarrassed. "I'm actually starving… but I don't want to get up."

He kissed me and then rolled on top of me outside the sheets. Laughing, he told me, "It's only eight o' clock on a Friday night. We have lots of time until school on Tuesday. Let's make sure you have some energy to make you last."

I covered my face. I could feel my ears burning and my cheeks flushing. _Damn pale skin… gives me away._

He handed me a man's flannel pj set. As I held the clothes up to examine them, it hit me. "Um, Edward?"

"Yes?" He sounded amused. It was almost like he knew what was coming.

"So, if you don't sleep, why would you need pajamas? Do you wear these to lounge in?"

"No," he chuckled. "I rent this cabin out to university faculty and graduate students. The clothes are for them. The housekeeper keeps them clean for any new guests."

Made sense. The pants were going to swim on me. _He must have lumberjack-size colleagues._ I threw on the top and some wool socks he had laid on the bed and looked at him. I looked like I was wearing a little dark blue dress. "Decent?"

He looked me up and down, stopping to admire my bare legs. "Hmmm."

That 'hmmm' alone sent shivers down to my core again. We were never going to make it out of this room if I didn't focus. He might have supernatural control, but mine was crumbing quickly.

"Okay, you. Let's go before I pass out from hunger."

He grabbed my hand and led me to the kitchen. I sat down on a stool watching him maneuver around on the other side of the counter. For someone who didn't eat food, he sure looked like he knew what he was doing.

"What would you like?"

"What do you have?"

"Almost anything. Eggs, chicken, pasta, beef."

"I hate to ask this, but how do you have fresh food? Were you planning to bring me here?"

"I didn't plan anything really… until this afternoon. When they showed up, I texted my housekeeper to get some supplies and get the house ready. She's nearby and can stock up within 15 minutes."

_Housekeeper? _That word registered in my brain again. He'd said it before. "Is this one of your family homes?"

"Yes."

I blinked for a moment and then focused back on my stomach. "Let's keep it relatively simple. Spaghetti?"

"Red or white sauce?"

"Red."

He put some water in a pot to boil and took a container of red sauce from the refrigerator. I glanced in when he opened the fridge to see if he had any supplies for himself in there. I didn't see anything.

He threw the contents of the container into another saucepan and let that start to heat. The water boiled quickly and he put in the spaghetti. He disappeared for a moment and then returned with a bottle of Italian wine. Deftly using the corkscrew, he pulled down two glasses and poured some for both of us. Then he got a bottle of water from the pantry and poured it into a tall glass for me. As I took a long sip of the water, he picked up his wine glass and held it out to me. "To you my love." he said, his green eyes sparkling.

I wondered if I could ever say all the nice mushy things that I felt for him to him. I'd have to work on that. "And you," I managed to say. I took a sip. It was smooth and silky.

I picked up the wine bottle to see what type it was. I was so busy reading the label, I didn't notice he'd put a small bowl of pasta in front of me. I saw it suddenly and thanked him. It was steaming. Letting the pasta cool, I took another sip of the wine.

"Do you like it?" he asked. "It's from a lovely town in Tuscany that I'm fond of."

"The wine is great. You've been to Italy, obviously."

"Si."

"And Italian is one of those many languages you know, huh?"

"I've had a lot of time on my hands for the past 80 years. Knowing languages helps you in your travels. I study a lot."

I shook my head at the superman in front of me and then picked up the napkin to put it on my lap. Grabbing the fork, I took a bite. "Holy cow! This sauce is amazing!"

He shrugged. "I can't claim responsibility. The housekeeper is a good cook I hear."

I ate another few bites. He leaned on the counter along the sink, looking straight ahead at the fridge, his eyes narrowing in thought.

"What were you looking for?" he asked.

"What do you mean?"

"I saw you searching in the refrigerator when I opened it earlier."

I felt embarrassed that he caught me. I took a deep breath and let it out. "I was wondering if you were still thirsty." I looked up and met his eyes. "I just wondered if you had anything for yourself in there."

He took a few seconds before answering. "No, I'm not thirsty. I usually make sure I'm well nourished before I spend time with you."

I looked back down at the counter. I grabbed the wine glass and look another small sip. Then I ate another bite of food.

"I do always carry something with me, just in case. And yes, I am stocked here… just not in the fridge."

I could feel his eyes still looking at me. I had to know.

"So, did I taste as good as you imagined?" I asked quietly.

I could see him turn his head back toward the fridge. I looked up at him. "Did I?"

He took a deep breath and whispered, "Yes."

"Thank you for… taking care of me, Edward."

"How much do you remember?" he asked softly.

"I remember what it felt like."

He closed his eyes.

"That is why you said don't get used it. I didn't know what you meant."

He stayed silent. He looked tormented.

I knew that I should drop the subject.

And I also knew that I wouldn't.

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**A/N: Tasty, tasty Bella. Thanks for reading so far… the end is near. Please review.**


	23. Keeping Her Safe

**Disclaimer: The characters of Twilight are owned by Stephenie Meyer. The content, ideas and intellectual property of this story and the 'American Vampire Series' in its entirety are owned by Just4ALE.**

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Chapter 23: Keeping Her Safe**

**EPOV**

Her gaze was steady, her voice soft when she asked, "What happened to me before you got me into the shower? Why was I so…"

"I had to take your fear away and make you focus on me. It was the only way they'd leave you alone. In that state, the bite leaves you… erotically charged."

"Why is that? Is it something you passed on to me when you bit me? Do vampires bite each other during...?" I had begun noticing that she had a hard time talking about sex. Despite my discomfort with this line of questioning, I found that amusing and endearing.

"No, I didn't pass it on. It was your heightened emotional state that brought it on. And, yes, we bite each other."

"Does it work on two vampires the same way that…"

I put my glass down on the counter and walked towards the living room. "Please, let's not talk about this right now, here."

She followed me into the living room. "What would happen if you bit me… during…"

"Okay, enough!" I shouted.

From my peripheral vision, I could see she was shocked. "But you said you're not thirsty," she said in a small voice.

I ghosted to the other side of the room and looked out a window, my back toward her.

"I'm not, and after this afternoon I'm more than sustained. But now I'm also well aware of what it feels and tastes like to bite you. I'm a vampire, Bella. There is a part of me that will always want you in that way."

She considered this. "Do you want me now?"

_Did I want her now? _

_Yes._

Without turning to give her warning, I ghosted back toward her and was wrapped around her.

She gasped, surprised. Her eyes were wide.

She was so soft and fragile. She was young and beautiful. She was intelligent and curious. She was sweet and naive. She was the only thing that mattered to me. Every time I had her in my arms, I felt like I was home. Carlisle was right. I would know. I could do this.

"Yes. I want you. Now."

I smiled and began unbuttoning her pajama top as I lay her gently on the rug in front of the fire.

~#~

As it was her first time, we knew that it would hurt her. The idea of harming her in anyway overwhelmed me, even though I knew that the slight pain was normal for humans. I knew then that I would never allow myself to hurt her otherwise. Alice was right: I'd keep her safe. I was as gentle as possible for her.

It was so different from all of my previous experiences. Her warmth enveloped me. Her energy escalated and sent chills through me. Her eyes were wide, full of love and trust. She was with me fully, body and soul. My body responded… and my fangs… well I managed to keep my erection up and my fangs safely tucked away. Her earlier attentiveness to my needs had allowed me to begin to learn how to make that work.

Afterward, she snuggled into the crook of my arm as we lay by the fire tangled up in the blanket I pulled off the sofa. I held her left hand in my right and ran my thumb up and down her life lines in her palm. She took a deep breath. _Oh, no, here it comes._

"So… I know you don't want to talk about this…"

I breathed in and held it.

"But just a few more questions and I'll drop it for now. I just want to understand."

I exhaled slowly and smiled, shaking my head. She was too curious for her own good. "Okay, I give up."

"Is this… does doing it…"

She was having difficulty spitting it out.

"Bella, just ask."

"I'm trying!" she said, exasperated. "I can't help if I'm embarrassed to talk about this stuff."

"Embarrassed?" I asked in surprise. "After everything we've been through in the past day?" I set her hand down and let my fingers caress her up and down her bare skin. I pulled her toward me and kissed her neck. "How can you be embarrassed with me right now?" I murmured, my lips pressed to her shoulder.

"Hey," she laughed, "you're trying to distract me."

"Is it working?" I mumbled, my mouth continuing on its not so random path across her breasts.

She put her left hand to her head, clearly trying to concentrate.

"I just wanted to know if having sex this 'human' way felt okay for you," she blurted out. Then she covered her face with both hands.

I stopped suddenly. "What?"

From beneath her hands, she started to repeat the question. I grabbed her hands to look at her.

"Did it look like I wasn't enjoying myself?"

She closed her eyes, still timid.

"Bella, look at me."

She shook her head and kept her eyes closed. I decided I'd get her attention.

"Well then, if we're done talking…" I threw the blanket over my head and began to replicate Thursday night's events at my home, starting at her belly button.

She began to moan as I worked my way down. "Ungh… oh… OKAY!" she gasped. "Get back up here!"

I came back out from under the covers, grinning. "You were saying?"

She kept her eyes down as she spoke. "Well, you looked like you enjoyed it."

"Of course I did. Men really can't fake that, and as I told you before, I may not be human anymore but I am still a man." I laughed, and kissed her nose.

She looked at me and then frowned as if she suddenly remembered something. "A man who can get me pregnant."

I reached out and hugged her tightly. "No need to worry about that," I whispered in her ear. "You'll be starting your cycle in about two days." She pulled back to look me in the eyes, questioning.

I smiled and pointed to myself, mouthing the word: vampire.

"How do you know?"

"Slight hormonal changes. I also know when you last had it."

Her eyes narrowed. "Slight hormonal changes? I thought you said I tasted good."

"Okay, again, let's not remind me about how you taste," I warned. "I can just tell when you're ovulating and I know from your scent that your cycle will begin in a few days. You won't get pregnant."

"Well," she said, relaxing slightly, "I guess that's a… convenient skill to have. Built in birth control detector."

I chuckled. "So are we done with the questions?"

"No… just one more related one. I didn't really finish; I got sidetracked there."

I sighed. "Proceed."

"What I really was wondering was... if it was as good as it could have been for you. Would… biting me… during sex feel better for you?" She rushed through the next several thoughts. "Does it cause you pain not to do so, particularly if you're drawn in by the combination of scent and emotions and energy? … In the state I'm in at that point, wouldn't that make it the BEST time for you to bite me?"

I was hoping she wouldn't ask this just yet. I was barely learning how to be with her. For goodness sake, I had a will of steel, but I didn't know how much I could take.

"Okay. I'll answer this," I said gritting my teeth. "And then please drop it. At least for the rest of the weekend."

"Okay," she said in a small voice.

I rolled over to lie flat on my back, looking up at the ceiling. Taking a deep breath, I began. "I have not been with anyone physically for a long time. Yes I am a man and I have needs, but the need hasn't arisen as I've busied myself with other hobbies and distractions. A vampire coupling can be pretty rough when it is just one of those need-fulfilling things. And if you're not into that kind of 'tough love', which I've somewhat grown out of in my older age, you don't really need to do it that often. It stays with you for a while."

"I have fallen in love with a human, as unbelievable as it seems. Being in love is new to me, Bella. Being around a human in this way is new to me. I think I'm doing a pretty good job of remembering how you make me feel so that I can keep you alive." I reached for her right hand and kissed it. I continued, looking at her hand in mine.

"No, refraining from biting you when I'm inside of you doesn't cause me pain: it feels wonderful to be that close to you. I get a high just from seeing you elevate to a state you're never in and I'm thrilled that I'm the one who is able to bring you there. I'm happy to just hold you near me. I'm amazed that for some odd reason you love me back."

"Yes, without a doubt biting you while I'm making love to you would bring it to another level for me. For you too, but before you ask me to do so, I'm telling you this. We can't for now. You haven't regained enough blood back in your system from today's bite."

"Oh," she said. I could tell she was going to say something else. I continued on.

"Moreover, I won't. Even if I hadn't bitten you today, I wouldn't want to unless we're in a safe place for you. Today I was able to stop because there was a greater purpose to the action: I was trying to keep you alive and protect you from them. Here, I might not be able to stop… at least not yet."

I could feel her eyes on me as I finished speaking. I met her gaze.

"Remember… I'm learning as well. Let's take it a step at a time, okay?"

Her eyes were glistening as I finished speaking and her energy level had escalated significantly, but this time it wasn't from fear or lust. She was radiating love. I actually felt warm inside looking at her big brown eyes staring at me. She smiled and then reached out to touch my face. She pulled me to her and kissed me gently.

"Okay."

~#~

My phone kept beeping.

It was just after midnight and Bella had fallen asleep. I'd picked her up and moved her to the bedroom to sleep more comfortably.

I loved watching her sleep: she was fascinating. This was only my second night, but I knew I could do this for the rest of my existence. Her lips moved often, like she had something to say. I wondered when she would actually talk.

As I watched, I became lost in other thoughts. Where was this relationship destined to go? The options were few. I couldn't leave her. I was in love… and it was that permanent kind of bond that happened so rarely in our lives. For over 80 years I'd been alone. How random to find someone now. I wasn't going to let her go.

I couldn't turn her just because I wanted her. She'd have to choose that path. I wouldn't be selfish. I could only hope that she'd want to stay with me forever, but one day at a time. I wasn't going to bring it up.

Which meant I'd have to be so careful. So restrained. I felt strong enough. I'd lived this way long enough to keep it in control.

Nevertheless, while I could restrain myself from my desires, the company I sometimes kept could not necessarily be trusted to do the same. Case in point: James. He had been texting me all evening. I moved to the living room to see what he had to say. I checked the time on these messages.

**5:00. James: Came by to say good-bye… decided to go to Rio and see if you changed your mind about joining me. At your house now.**

**5:02. James: I let myself in. Smells like you had some fun last night.**

_Ugh. no tact. Nothing private with that one._

**6:01. James: So I went by her apartment, thinking I'd find you there**.

Every swear word I knew came out of my mouth. Quietly. I didn't want to wake her. _Damn him! The bastard is already trying to figure out where she lives!_

**6:02. James: I followed her scent, in case you were wondering. Where the hell are you?**

**9:25. James: Off to the airport now. Did you go on a 'date'? Movies? Dancing? I can't wait to meet the girl who has you so enamored.**

James was going to be a problem. I needed him to take off to Brazil and get lost there for a while. In all of our years as 'friends', there was little that he viewed as proprietary, particularly when it came to women. What was his was his; what was mine was his.

In the past, I'd never had a problem sharing. In those early, wild years I'd mentioned to Bella, I had left Carlisle and the rest of the family to discover my true vampire nature. It was young and immature of me, but I was a rebellious teenager. It was then that I met James. We hunted humans together; I tried to justify it by going after only the evil ones who I thought didn't deserve to live.

During that time, I'd also had many lovers. James often lurked around the sidelines, waiting for his turn. The vampires we'd been with hadn't minded… it was just our way. As the years went on, my conquests were fewer and far between, but somehow, he found his way into their beds. Since I didn't feel love for them, it didn't matter.

But this was different. Now, I truly cared about someone and she wasn't a vampire. In the span of only four months, she'd become my whole world. I wasn't sharing.

I would not allow my past to ruin my future with Bella. I was going to have to proceed carefully and watch him like a hawk.

I texted him back:** Away for the weekend. Sorry I missed you. Have fun in Rio. Let me know when you're back in town.**

I turned off the phone for the rest of the night. And then I went back into the bedroom to hold my girl and watch her sleep.

_The End_

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_**A/N: Thank you for staying with my first fiction. I appreciated all feedback/reviews. After the original posting, I found a Beta, the lovely Irritable Grizzzly, who volunteered her Beta services. Only minor edits were made… no storyline changes. Thanks IG… awesome work!**

**As I mentioned in the beginning, this story won two Indie TwiFic awards in the Winter '10 competition. Thank you to all those who voted for it!**

**If you liked this one, please go on to the sequel: Sleeps with A Vampire. And PLEASE leave a review!**

_Post A/N: This story all began in my head one night while thinking of the concert version of Firth of Fifth as I tried to sleep. The specific concert tour referenced can be found on You Tube. Once again, posted by jhordvar, it is listed as Genesis - Old Medley Part2. Bella's favorite part starts at 1:25._

_Yes, I do really have an ice-skating routine choreographed in my head to that as per Ch. 10… hard to believe._


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